


Cold-Hearted

by andthatisterrible



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Basically Lesbian Fargo, F/F, More snow, Murder Mystery, Slowburn Hollstein, Snow, Snow and Death, Snow and Murder and Death and All Things Fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 09:04:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 80,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5085970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andthatisterrible/pseuds/andthatisterrible
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the snow-bound little town of Silas a sudden, an unexplained murder sends the town into an uproar. Danny Lawrence, the local Chief of police is trying to solve the murder with the help of her warring Lieutenants. LaFontaine and Perry own the local diner and are trying to make a living while hiding their own secrets. Laura Hollis works at their diner as a waitress, getting by amidst the ruins of her own failed journalism career. When a mysterious dark-haired woman shows up at the diner on the night of a gruesome murder, events quickly escalate for them all. With warring business tycoons, conspiracies, affairs, and mistrust at every step, Laura is going to have a busy winter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lights Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh, new fic. Enjoy. No real trigger warnings, but this is a murder mystery so there'll be some descriptions of crime scenes and some violence later on.
> 
> Other canon characters are going to show up, but I'll wait to tag them until they appear.

 

The wind had picked up after the sun had set for the day, blowing puffs of fresh white powder over the mounds of frozen week-old snow that covered everything in the small town of Silas. The thick evergreen forest that surrounded the town on two sides shook back and forth in the wind, dumping more snow down from the laden tree branches. Nothing else in the forest stirred.

Further north, only a little outside the town limits, the wind blew the fresh snow over the half-laid railroad tracks, hiding them from view. The houses on the edge of town near the tracks were all beacons in the darkness, lights spilling out of windows and smoke curling from the chimneys. The residents of Silas had been ready for the winter nights to come back and there was no shortage of firewood being sold at the local stores.

One house, a large impressive old residence, was dark and empty, its owner trudging up from their car through the frozen snow. The door was unlocked and opened only long enough for the owner to slip inside. A single light went on within.

Everything settled back into silence for a few minutes, only to be broken by the sound of footsteps crunching down the street. The figure causing the footsteps paused at the bottom of the driveway of the still-mostly-dark house and peered up at it. Then they headed carefully up the drive, placing each foot deliberately to avoid hidden icy patches.

When they reached the door they tried the handle, which turned easily under their hand. They slid inside, pulling the door shut behind them.

If someone had been standing outside and had been able to hear anything over the rising wind, they would perhaps have picked out the brief sound of raised voices and then a thud and a crash. The light inside switched out.

A few minutes later the door opened again and a single figure left, headed away down the street. The front door, which had never fit its frame quite right, swung open, whipping back and forth in the wind. Inside the house there was only silence.

///////

Danny Lawrence rubbed her temples and held back a frustrated groan. The great (though tiny) town of Silas did not pay her enough for this shit.

“...and then do you know what he does? He lets them go. Just like that. Barely even a warning.”

“Unlike certain people I don't feel the need to ruin the lives of our citizens over trifles. We're supposed to protect them, not terrorize them.”

Danny looked back and forth between her two lieutenants, wondering if she'd have to arrest herself if she smashed their heads together.

“Chief, are you going to sit here and listen to his bullshit?” Lieutenant Mel Callis leaned forward on Danny's desk, her dark curly hair swinging forward to frame her outraged face.

Danny sighed, leaning back in her decidedly uncomfortable desk chair. She was the damned Chief of Police, you'd think the job would come with a better chair. Maybe she could buy her own and smuggle it in somehow. She turned in the sub-par chair to face the other unwelcome occupant of her office. Lieutenant Theo Straka was lounging against the wall next to the door, scowling at both women. He met Danny's gaze without flinching.

“Mel has a valid point, Straka. You let someone go without a ticket when they were going twenty miles over the limit. That's pretty reckless when there's this much ice on the roads.”

Theo shook his head and exhaled in disgust.

“We're here to defend the good people of Silas, Chief, not charge locals driving properly outfitted vehicles for rushing to get to work on time. People don't need us to...to...”

“Police them?” Danny asked, raising her eyebrows. “Because we _are_ the police so it's kind of our job to do that.”

Mel took her hands off Danny's desk and stepped back, nodding in satisfaction.

“Exactly, Chief.” She turned to glare at Theo. “See, Straka, even the Chief can see through your bullshit.”

_Even the Chief? What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

Danny wanted to scowl at both of them but her face muscles were genuinely starting to feel sore from all the scowling today. First Kirsch had set off the fire alarms and sprinkler system in the station, then old lady Valerie had been down here yelling about the neighborhood children throwing snowballs on her property, and now this.

She had been Chief for barely a year now and she was still wondering if it was worth it. When O'Donaldson had retired and left her to pick up the reins a lot of the old timers had chosen to retire at the same time or move to warmer climes. She'd been left with a bunch of half-trained children for officers. Theo Straka and Mel Callis were the only two senior enough to appoint as officers. Kirsch had been completely unsuited to officer duty and Betty was still too inexperienced. The rest of them were even worse.

“I don't want to deal with this argument anymore,” Danny said, wearily. “Theo, the next time you catch someone driving over the speed limit...”

“Twenty miles over,” Mel interjected.

“... _twenty miles over_ ,” Danny continued over Mel, “in a school zone, you will give them a ticket and I don't care if they come from a family of a hundred generations in Silas. Hell, I don't care if their ancestors founded this damn town. Ticket. Got it?”

Theo opened his mouth to retort, but took in Danny's expression and thought better of it.

“As you say, Chief,” he said, coldly. He gave an exaggerated half-bow and let himself out of the office, closing the door behind him slightly harder than was strictly necessary.

“Thank you for putting that douche-canoe in his place, Chief,” Mel said the second the door was shut.

“Mel, you can't just… Douche-canoe, really?”

“It fits.”

Well, she wasn't exactly wrong. But then Mel wasn't Danny's favorite person either.

“He's had his eye on your job ever since he transferred here last year, you know.”

Danny figured Mel was probably right about that but there wasn't much she could do. She couldn't fire Theo for being ambitious, and it wasn't like she had a lot of other candidates for Lieutenant.

“That's as may be, but Mel you can't drag him in here and have a brawl in my office every time he sneezes in the wrong direction. You two are supposed to be providing an example to the others, not tearing each other apart every five seconds.”

“Well maybe if you could keep him in line I wouldn't have to.”

Danny considered, not for the first time, that perhaps Theo wasn't the only one after her job. Mel was plenty ambitious as well. She squeezed her eyes shut in frustration, trying to ward off the headache she could feel coming on.

“Mel, can you...look, go do some paperwork or something. In the other room. Be not in this office by the time I open my eyes, okay?”

Mel slammed the door slightly harder than Theo had. Probably trying to score one last point in their endless, pointless game.

Danny slouched back in her chair, letting her head tilt back so she could regard the ceiling. Winter was coming on fast this year. It was mid-November and the first snow had come in early October, which was a bit sooner than usual. Everyone was getting stir-crazy extra early this year and since the snow didn't generally melt until March or April they were in it for the long haul.

She wondered if she should have followed the example of some of the other officers and transferred to some place more hospitable. Somewhere with beaches and flip-flops. Spending months shoveling snow and getting salt stains out of her clothes wasn't the life she wanted anymore. Maybe it never had been. But she'd grown up here, this town was in her blood. Leaving would be a betrayal.

There was a soft knock on her door and she smiled before she could stop herself. There was only one person here who knocked that politely.

“Come in.”

The door opened a crack and Deputy Betty Spielsdorf poked her head in.

“Chief, I brought you some coffee if that's alright?”

Danny waved her in and reached gratefully for the steaming mug. The station was well-heated but the cold here got into your bones.

“You're a life-saver, Deputy.” Danny smiled at her.

“It was Kirsch's idea, but I thought maybe after the Lieutenants you didn't need Kirsch bouncing around the room like an over-eager puppy.” Betty folded her hands in front of her and stood stiffly near the door. Danny motioned to one of the chairs across from her desk and Betty sat carefully on the edge.

“Good thinking. Kirsch means well but his enthusiasm can be a little much and I seem to be developing a headache.”

“Do you need me to go get you some painkillers?” Betty was half-way out of her chair before Danny cut her off.

“No, no, it's fine. I think I'm just going to go out and grab dinner somewhere. Change of scenery might be the best thing for me right now.”

“Oh, okay. Uh, but you should know that Lieutenant Straka left.” Betty grimaced and looked at the floor guiltily.

Danny felt a little bad for her. There wasn't much the Deputy could do if Theo blew off his duties and left things in a lurch.

“Well, I think you can hold down the fort for an hour,” Danny said. Betty was competent if not confident.

Betty's face lit up.

“Really?”

“Sure. Need me to bring you anything? I'm headed to The Anglerfish.”

As if there was anywhere else in this town to get dinner at this hour.

“Oh, no, that's okay. I packed a dinner for myself. Thanks, though.”

Danny nodded and gave Betty a smile more cheerful than she felt. Betty left to get back to her desk. Leaving Kirsch unsupervised was asking for a disaster.

Danny gathered her things and prepared to go out into the cold. She pulled on a heavy down coat over her shirt and hoodie and then her police jacket with 'Chief of Police' written on it over that. Warm gloves, earmuffs, and a hat followed. It didn't do to under-dress for Silas winters.

She waved to Betty and Deputy Kirsch as she made her way through the station, noting Theo and Mel's empty desks. Mel's shift was over so at least she had an excuse; Theo was in for a lecture tomorrow. Maybe this was her fault for letting him off easy about the ticket earlier.

She climbed into her police jeep, which one of the Deputies had been nice enough to scrape the ice off of, and switched on the heater, huddling in her jacket until the space warmed up. Once she felt comfortable she pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the road.

The Anglerfish was only a few blocks away, but damned if she was going to walk that in this weather. It had started snowing again, though not too hard. It was a light powdery snow rather than anything that would cause serious accumulation. Mostly it would make the greying piles of older snow look slightly less gross for a few hours.

She pulled into the parking lot and headed into the long wooden building with the glowing sign reading 'The Anglerfish Cafe' over the door. The warmth inside hit her in a welcome wave and she headed to the counter.

“Hey, Chief. How's it going?” the red-head behind the bar greeted her.

Danny glanced around the diner, seeing only one other customer in a booth being helped by a waitress, before sliding onto a barstool.

“Going about the same as always, Laf,” Danny responded. LaFontaine, co-owner and host of the diner had become something of a fixture here in Silas in the last six years. They'd come to town and bought the decrepit old diner off the hands of old man Gunderson who was within one health-code violation of being shut down and turned it into the most popular eatery in town. It was quite an accomplishment for an out-of-towner. Most people here didn't take kindly to strangers trying to start businesses.

It was especially odd considering LaFontaine was somewhat different from what Silas was used to. Danny sure didn't care what gender anyone identified as or what pronouns they wanted to use, but folks in Silas could be a bit old-fashioned. Still, it had been a pleasant surprise how many people had gone along with it without a second thought. Danny suspected some of them thought it was an affectation of an odd-ball (of which Silas had plenty) and didn't really get the whole non-binary part, but it was better than angry mobs. Change happens slowly, and all. Also the other co-owner was a big hit with most of the locals.

“Hello Chief!” a bright voice called out as an over-enthusiastic looking woman with long, curly red hair came out of the kitchen and over to smile at Danny over the bar.

“Perry. How's things?”

Lola Perry, the other co-owner, was someone the people of Silas could understand. Sure she was slightly intense and a bit over-zealous in all aspects of her life, but in a town full of laid-back folks her generally motherly helpful attitude struck a chord.

“Fantastic! We've had a very busy day here even with all the workers gone for the season.”

Danny nodded her thanks as Laf slid a mug of coffee across the counter to her, and pulled off her gloves and hat.

“So they finally gave up, then?” Danny asked, blowing on her coffee. The workers constructing the railroad tracks and station North of town had been a pain in her ass all year.

“Ground is too frozen for them to get much work done. Has been for over a month really, not that it's stopped them from trying,” Laf said, polishing a glass with a cloth.

“Probably for the best, people get uneasy with strangers around here,” Danny said. She could use any sort of good news at all right now.

“Speaking of strangers,” Laf said, motioning with their head towards the customer in the booth.

Danny looked back over her shoulder to regard the other customer, but her view was mostly blocked by the short waitress at the table who appeared to be waving her order pad at the customer in a threatening manner.

“I see Laura's in a mood tonight,” Danny said, turning back around.

LaFontaine and Perry shared a grimace.

“Yeah, you never know what you're going to get with Laura. Some days she's the friendliest person ever, a poster-girl for amicable waitresses everywhere, and some days she's colder than a winter's night in January,” LaFontaine said.

It dropped well below zero here at night in January but Danny couldn't disagree with the comparison.

“Laura...she's had a tough time of it, is all,” Danny said, tracing a pattern in some water on the counter. That was putting it mildly.

“We know,” Perry said, reassuringly. “We like Laura very much.”

“Totally. Hollis is aces,” LaFontaine agreed.

“She's coming back, shhh,” Perry whispered. Danny almost rolled her eyes at how badly Perry managed to hide her guilty expression.

Laura Hollis walked over to the bar next to where Danny was sitting and slammed her order pad into the counter.

“Take it easy there, Hollis,” Danny said with a friendly grin.

Laura huffed and glared at Danny as if everything were somehow _her_ fault.

“Of all the infuriating, irritating, ill-mannered….” She broke off and mimed strangling someone with her hands. “Argh!”

Danny glanced back at the booth again, but its occupant had slid further in and the tall booth back was blocking her view now. She thought she caught a glimpse of long dark hair.

“Laura, dear, she's a customer. Even if she's an annoying one we have to be nice to her,” Perry chided.

Laura practically snarled. Perry picked up her order pad, ripped off the top sheet and hurried away towards the kitchen with it.

“Yeah, Laura, no strangling the customers without clearing it with management first,” LaFontaine agreed.

“What happened?” Danny asked, trying to sound sympathetic.

“Ugh, she's just obnoxious and she kept using all these stupid nicknames and refused to stop even when I told her to. And she kept insulting the menu.” Laura slid onto a bar stool next to Danny and put her head down on the counter, her long, light brown hair spreading out across the bar top.

“She insulted the menu?” Laf asked. “I might be okay with you strangling her after all.”

“LaFontaine!” Perry's warning voice proceeded her back to the bar.

“Joking, joking. So who is she, Laur?”

“She wouldn't say. I tried to be polite and ask if she was just passing through or here on business but she tried to act all _mysterious_ even though it mostly came off as condescending and told me maybe I'd find out if I played my cards right. And then she _winked_ at me.” Laura picked her head up. “I know I'm not supposed to, but can I have a drink?”

LaFontaine opened their mouth to reply.

“Now Laura, we've talked about this,” Perry said.

LaFontaine shut their mouth again, hurriedly, and attempted to look stern.

“You need me to go put her in her place for you?” Danny offered. She wasn't big on using her authority to scare people, but this sounded like borderline sexual harassment.

“No, it's fine. She was being a jerk, but whatever. I don't want to run off the only customer we have right now.”

“Not the only customer,” Danny pointed out.

“Oh my god, we haven't taken your order yet,” Perry exclaimed in sudden realization. She swatted LaFontaine. “What were you thinking?”

They shrugged. “What'll it be Lawrence?”

“Burger and fries. Medium-well. And maybe a coke.”

Perry nodded and hurried back towards the kitchen. Danny thought she could hear JP's voice coming through the door. The chef at The Anglerfish was a bit shy and didn't come out of his kitchen very often.

The front door blew open in a gust of cold wind and Danny saw Laura shudder. She was only wearing her jeans and a flannel button-down unlike Danny who was still wrapped in all her layers. Danny scowled when she recognized the heavily-bundled figure entering the room.

“Lieutenant Straka, I believe your shift hasn't ended. What are you doing out of the station?”

Theo approached the bar, his empty charming smile stretched across his face.

“Chief Lawrence, I got a call about a suspicious person skulking around and went to check it out. False alarm, but it wouldn't have done not to check.”

“And you went yourself instead of sending one of the deputies because?”

“Well, you were at the station so I assumed you could handle a couple deputies on your own. I apologize if I was mistaken in this.”

Danny gritted her teeth into a snarl.

“Next time you will send a deputy and stay at your post unless there is a real emergency. Is that understood?”

Theo held her gaze for a few seconds too long to remain respectful.

“Perfectly clear, Chief,” he said at last.

He turned his attention to Laura, who had spun around on her stool to face the newcomer.

“Miss. Hollis, how lovely to see you this evening,” Theo said, all the contempt gone from his voice.

“Uh, hi,” Laura said, looking uncomfortable.

“Are you stuck in your waitressing duties tonight or could I ask you to join me for some dinner?”

Danny wondered for the second time that day about the morality of kicking the shit out of one of her own employees.

“Yeah, no thanks, Theo. I'm kind of working right now.” Laura's voice had a warning edge under it that Theo didn't seem to pick up on.

“Lieutenant Straka, unless time has magically rearranged itself to make it much later than the clocks all say it is, you've still got quite a bit of time left on your shift. So get back to the station _now_.”

Theo turned his attention back to Danny and she saw Laura slip away out of the corner of her eye.

“Actually I stopped here because I recognized your jeep outside and I was hoping to have a word.”

Danny did not need this right now, but a good boss listened to her employees, she told herself.

“Okay, what do you need?” Perhaps that was a bit brusk, but she was out of patience this evening.

“About what happened earlier, ma'am. Lieutenant Callis has a grudge against me, always has. She doesn't even attend her own duties, and instead follows me around waiting for even the slightest infraction so that she can...”

Danny held up a hand.

“Okay, I'm going to stop you right there. Want to know what a good way to not have Mel report on all your little 'infractions' is? Don't make any.”

Theo's face grew stormy and he opened his mouth to give a reply that would no doubt give Danny the excuse she was looking for to deck him one, but he never got a chance to say whatever it was because both their police radios started buzzing at that moment.

Danny cursed and dug hers out of a pocket.

“Go ahead,” she said, pressing the button on the side.

“Uh, Chief? It's Deputy Spielsdorf. We just got a call in. Someone's dead, they're saying. Murder.”

Danny felt a chill run down her spine that had very little to do with the weather.

“I've got Lieutenant Straka with me, send the address to my phone and we're going to get over there right now.”

“Roger, Chief. Should I dispatch anyone else?”

Danny considered this.

“Yeah, crime scene unit, obviously. And see if you can get Lieutenant Callis. Also you come over yourself as well. Leave Kirsch in charge.”

“Uh, Kirsch in charge?”

Betty had never questioned her orders before but Danny couldn't blame her for this one.

“It's murder, Betty. Do you even remember the last time someone was murdered in Silas?”

No one did because it had been before any of them were born.

“Okay, Chief. Address sent and I'm on my way.”

“Can I come?”

Danny turned to find Laura's eager face staring up at her from the other side of the bar.

“What? No. This is a crime scene, Laura, I can't bring a civilian along.”

“Any idea who died?” LaFontaine asked.

They both looked too excited by half.

“What is wrong with both of you?” Perry asked, voicing Danny's thoughts. “This is serious. Let Chief Lawrence go attend to her duties and both of you back to work.” She handed Danny a Styrofoam take-out container. “I packed your food for you.”

Danny took it gratefully and dropped some cash on the counter.

“Thanks, Perry. I'll catch you guys later.”

She indicated Theo should follow her and headed for the door. She almost made it before Laura caught up with her.

“Please, Danny? If I could get the story on this before anyone else maybe...” Laura looked up at her with pleading eyes that damn near broke Danny's heart. She knew how much this meant to Laura after her journalism career had crashed and burned. She hated denying her childhood friend anything.

“Laura, I can't bring you onto a crime scene, sorry. And you're still at work, anyway. You can't run off and leave your responsibilities.”

Laura hung her head and sighed and Danny almost changed her mind, but one glance at Theo's mocking face convinced her.

“I'll catch you later, Hollis,” she said and headed back out into the cold, pulling her gloves on.

“Who drives?” Theo asked, all business now.

“I do.”

“A murder, Chief. This is big.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

She didn't want big. She wanted normal and quiet. Why couldn't it have been a quiet winter?

/////////////

Laura's feet and back were starting to hurt from standing up for so long on her shift. Things had finally quieted down for the night and she'd been able to slip behind the bar and collapse onto one of the folding chairs wedged back near the door to the kitchen, stretching her legs out in relief.

“Uh, Laur,” LaFontaine called back from the bar. They gestured out towards the main room. “Customer seems to need some assistance.”

Laura groaned and willed herself to stand back on her sore feet. _Of course_ that awful woman wanted something the first time she got to sit down. Though she'd been sitting on a bar stool when Danny was here. But that was besides the point.

She was still annoyed Danny hadn't let her come along. She had to sit around like everyone else and wait to hear the news through the crappy local paper. There were so many ways the paper could have been made more interesting, appealing, but no, it was always more articles about snow. As if anyone in Silas wanted to hear about snow.

And now there was a murder and she knew about it before anyone at the paper did and she couldn't do a damn thing about that. It was unfair.

She walked over towards the only customer left in the diner, sitting in the far booth.

“Took you long enough, cupcake. You get lost back there?” the woman drawled, tapping her straw against her mouth as she gazed at Laura.

“I told you to stop with the ridiculous nicknames.” Laura grumbled.

The other woman chuckled but didn't respond.

_Perry said I have to be nice. Just be nice._

“What can I help you with, ma'am?” she asked, teeth gritted into a forced smile.

“Ma'am? Really?” The woman asked, rolling her eyes.

She was almost as short as Laura was, with long, slightly-wavy dark hair and very pale skin. She would have been attractive if she hadn't been such a jerk. It ruined the whole thing somehow.

“What? You can call me 'cupcake' and I can't call you 'ma'am'?” Laura asked, forgetting that she was supposed to be nice.

“You are one strange waitress,” the woman said, sounding amused.

“And you're a jerk,” Laura responded without thinking. Perry was going to kill her.

The woman's eyebrows shot up and she laughed.

“Well, you're not wrong.”

“Uh, sorry. That was out of line,” Laura muttered, feeling heat rising to her cheeks.

“Don't worry about it, sweetheart. Now are you going to ask what I needed or do I have to go up to the bar myself?”

“Uh, no need for that. Sorry. What can I get for you?”

She still kind of wanted to shake the annoying woman.

“Mayo. For the fries.”

Laura made a face.

“You put mayo on fries?”

“Don't knock it til you've tried it. It's pretty common in other countries that actually know how to make food that isn't a pile of fried grease.”

Laura clenched her teeth at the implied insult of The Anglerfish again.

“Fine, I'll get you some mayo. Will that be all?”

See? She could be nice when she wanted to be.

“For now.”

She left before the woman had a chance to use anymore ridiculous nicknames and headed back to the bar.

“She wants mayo. For her _fries_.” Laura's tone implied that this was probably a criminal request.

LaFontaine didn't seem to think it was that weird though and Perry was already heading into the kitchen to take care of it.

“Still with the nicknames, huh?” LaFontaine asked, sympathetically.

“How could you tell?”

“Your hands are balled into fists and you look ready to punch out a moose.”

Laura unclenched her hands. She hadn't even realized she'd been doing that.

Perry came out of the kitchen and handed Laura a small side plate of mayo which Laura hurriedly took back over to the table.

“One side of mayo,” she said, setting it down and turning away quickly.

“Cupcake.”

She stopped and turned back, though she was tempted not to.

“Yes, _ma'am_?”

“Could I get some water as well?”

The woman dipped a fry in the mayo and smirked at Laura as she ate it.

Laura held in her urge to swat the fry right out of her grasp and instead nodded and headed back. She got the water herself from behind the bar, ignoring LaFontaine's questioning look and took it back, setting it on the table a little too hard so some of the water slopped over the side.

“Your water.”

She walked away, stiffening when she heard a chuckle from behind her.

“Honestly, she is so immature,” she grumbled to herself.

Laura was surprised to see that LaFontaine had abandoned their habitual spot behind the bar. She slid behind the bar to take over for her boss and cover the needs of all zero of the customers and heard raised voices coming from the kitchen behind her.

“It doesn't seem right!” Perry's voice was practically shouting.

“Perr, we don't really...”

Laura strained to hear the rest of the sentence but it was lost in some noise of pots and pans rattling around. Dammit, JP.

“..it's not like I have a choice!” Laf's voice cut back in.

“There are always other options,” Perry replied, her voice getting louder as she came through the kitchen door and noticed Laura behind the bar.

“Oh, Laura. Isn't your shift almost over?”

LaFontaine came out from the kitchen behind her, looking agitated.

“Yeah, I'm just waiting for our jerk face customer to finish up,” Laura said, glaring at the booth in the back. The jerk face customer who was currently raising a hand in the air to signal her attention. Laura groaned and headed over.

“Yes?” she asked, not even trying to be polite anymore.

“Check, please.” She smirked.

Laura pulled her order pad out of her pocket, added up the total and circled it, and put it down on the table. She returned to the bar, ignoring some comment the woman called after her that she didn't even hear.

“She's paying now. I'll leave once she does,” Laura told LaFontaine. Perry had disappeared again.

“Yeah, go and get some rest, Hollis. I hear there's supposed to be a big storm coming through soon and you're going to need all your strength to help shovel the parking lot.”

Laura sighed.

“I already have to shovel the ridiculous driveway at the house.”

“Well you'll be really ripped by the time spring comes.”

“Gee, thanks. That's a real consolation.”

They watched together as the woman in the booth dropped some cash onto the table and headed for the door, flipping Laura a lazy two-finger salute and another smirk for good measure.

“She's wearing a leather jacket over, like, a t-shirt. Is she insane?” Laura wondered aloud.

“If she's voluntarily visiting Silas, quite possibly,” LaFontaine said.

“Fair enough.”

Laura headed over to the table and collected the money left there, counting it as she walked back.

“That bitch!”

“Whoa, Laur, take it easy,” Laf said even as Perry snapped, “Language!”

“She didn't leave a tip.”

“Well, you were kind of a jerk to her.”

Laura glared at them.

“She so had it coming, though.”

“Well you can always try running out and slashing her tires before she can leave. Chances are she froze to death in the parking lot anyway.”

Laura stayed long enough to help LaFontaine and JP finish closing up the diner for the night.

“Miss. Hollis, please drive carefully, the roads are quite icy tonight,” JP said as Laura headed to the door, wrapping her scarf around her neck.

“I always do,” she said, bitterly. She always did.

/////

The drive home was uneventful and quiet. Laura considered weaving through more of the town to see if she could spot any police car lights flashing and maybe catch a glimpse of the crime scene, but her feet hurt and she mostly wanted to go home and crawl into bed.

Her father's house was on the outskirts of town, set away from the other houses on a large patch of empty land mostly surrounded by forest. She parked the car near the end of the driveway, almost in the street. The light snowfall tonight wasn't supposed to have any real accumulation, but she did not want to shovel the whole damn driveway tomorrow morning so better safe than sorry.

She walked carefully up the long slippery driveway, her breath misting in the freezing air, and followed the little path across the yard to the front door.

“I'm home!” she called as she let herself in.

“In here!” her father called back. She followed his voice into the living room where he was sitting next to the fireplace, a fire roaring away, and watching the news on the small tv on the wall.

“Hey dad, I brought dinner,” she said, holding up the two containers of food Perry had sent home with her. She wasn't sure why she even bothered to tell him this, Perry always sent dinner home with her.

“Oh great! Let me go warm those up for us,” her father said, rising stiffly to take the food from her. She held back a frown at how much he favored his right leg. She wished he'd use his cane, but he held out against it unless he had no other options. She relinquished the containers to him and pulled her gloves off, unwinding her scarf.

“How was work?” her father called from the kitchen. She could hear the beeps as he programmed the microwave and she held back a sigh. Some day he'd learn to use the oven. The microwave made everything soggy.

“Uh, okay I guess,” Laura called back as she hung her heavy down coat and the lighter jacket she wore under it in the hallway closet. “Oh! Danny stopped by and get this...”

She walked over and stuck her head around the corner of the kitchen doorframe.

“There was a murder in Silas tonight.”

Her father turned to look at her, surprise playing across his face.

“A murder? Who was it?” He sounded fairly upset, which, Laura reasoned, was probably a better response than the thrill of excitement she'd felt.

“No clue. Danny wouldn't say. And she didn't let me come along, either.”

“Laura, honey, why would you want to go to a crime scene? A murder scene, at that.”

He took one plate of food out of the microwave and stuck the second plate in.

“Because I thought I could get the scoop on it, maybe write up an on-the-scene article and then the paper would _have_ to hire me, right?”

Her father sighed.

“You don't want to see a real crime scene, honey. They're not images you need to live with in your head for the rest of your life.”

“I want to be a journalist, that means seeing unpleasant things sometimes.”

“Here.” He handed her the first plate and some silverware and she carried it back into the living room, setting it down on the small table by his chair. She headed back in to get the second plate from him. She knew he hated having her carry things for him, but it sped things up and she was starving.

They both settled down in the living room to eat.

“I know you really want to impress those assholes at the local paper, but...”

“Dad! Language!” She mimicked Perry's voice and he grinned.

“But promise me you'll stay away from this murder mess. Let the police do their job in peace. A murder in a town this size is going to shake things up for sure.”

“I know! And I want to be on top of things. That's what being a journalist is about.”

“Laura.” Her father's voice held a warning tone.

“When you were on the force you never would have sat in the sidelines for something like this.”

“Yes, that's because I was a cop. I was armed and trained to deal with situations like this. You're not.”

Laura sighed deeply, stabbing at her food with a fork. No one thought she was capable of anything. Maybe she was doomed to do nothing with the rest of her life, rot away in this god-forsaken little backwater town and die in boring anonymity.

Her father patted her on the knee.

“You'll get your chance, honey. This isn't it, though.”

“Thanks, dad.”

They ate the rest of their meal in silence.

////////////

“What do we got?” Danny asked, meeting Mel halfway up the driveway of the house that contained the crime scene.

“One victim. No sign of forced entry, but the door was swinging wide open. It's why the neighbors came over to investigate.”

Danny glanced up at the door to see Deputy Kirsch come running out and hurl his guts up in the bushes. Classy. Hadn't she told Betty to make him stay at the station?

Betty followed Kirsch out of the house, patting him gently on the back. She looked a bit pale, but otherwise okay. Danny nodded to herself in approval. Betty was made of tougher stuff than that.

“Who's the victim?” she asked Mel as she followed the other woman towards the front door. She couldn't remember for the life of her who lived here.

“It's Natalie, Chief. Natalie Farmer.”

They paused together in the entrance-way to look down at the remains of Natalie Farmer.

“Well, it _was_ Natalie, anyway,” Mel said without much emotion.

“Fuck,” Danny muttered under her breath. “This is not going to end well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter was mostly setting the scene. Hope you all enjoyed it anyway.
> 
> I don't have an exact location in mind for Silas. Roughly somewhere in the Northern USA (yeah, I know that's vague af). I researched weather patterns and seasonal stuff for Minnesota when writing this, though it's not really set there (I've never been so I don't know the speech patterns/culture, etc). It's somewhere it snows a lot, basically.
> 
> My [tumblr](http://asleepinawell.tumblr.com/).


	2. Who Killed Laura Palmer?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura has a stressful morning, Danny and crew investigate the crime scene, Carmilla gets lectured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mild description of crime scene. Really mild.

 

Danny had been awake way too long at this point and her slight headache had developed into a pounding pain that resonated through her entire skull. They'd gotten to the crime scene around 11pm and now it was nearly 1 in the morning and she was so tired she was ready to lie down in the snow and take a nap.

Most of her team looked like they were in pretty poor condition, too, except the two kids who made up her crime scene unit who seemed to have an unnatural ability to function extremely well in the middle of the night. She knew she shouldn't call them kids, she was only 27 herself, and they were probably 24 or 25, but lately she felt old beyond her years.

“Anything?” she asked Betty as her Deputy trudged wearily across the frozen lawn towards her. Danny had gotten sick of hovering over the crime scene kids for hours and retreated outside for some fresh, if chilly, air. She was leaning against the side of her jeep, wishing for some hot coffee.

“Not much that we didn't know already, Chief. Someone took a tire iron to her head. They're saying she got hit in the temple, went down, and then probably got hit several more times once she was on the ground. They've bagged the tire iron, but it looks like someone rubbed it down with bleach so not much chance of getting any evidence off it.”

Danny sighed.

“We don't get a murder here for decades and when we finally do it's a fucking mystery. Why couldn't it have been an angry wife standing over her dead husband's body yelling 'he had it coming!' or something simple like that?”

Betty leaned against the side of jeep next to Danny.

“I think even Kirsch would be able to solve that one,” she said, smiling.

“I wonder,” muttered Danny.

Kirsch had been sent back to the station after he'd finished throwing up his dinner into the shrubbery. He's been indignant, saying he wanted to stay and help catch 'whoever was knocking off hot ladies', but Danny hadn't given him a choice.

Why couldn't anyone obey her orders without throwing a tantrum? Anyone other than Betty, anyway.

“We're lucky the stupid door swung open like that,” Danny said. “And that everyone in Silas is incredibly nosy neighbors. We might not have found her for quite awhile otherwise.”

“Maybe the killer left the door open?” Betty suggested, hesitantly.

“It's possible. They went to some lengths to clean up after themselves though, the bleach and all. It's hard to imagine them leaving the door open after that.”

“Oh, yeah, true.” Betty looked discouraged.

“Natalie worked at the Silas Bank, right?” Danny asked. Natalie hadn't been in town that long but Danny still felt guilty about not knowing more about her.

“Yeah, though I heard it was a vanity job. Supposedly she was loaded. Rich dead husband or something.”

“Hmmm.”

“Do you think the money could be an angle?” Betty asked. Danny was glad she was still asking questions after she'd shot her last theory down. Getting attached to theories in a case wasn't good investigative policy.

“It's possible. We'll have to look into her family background and who inherits. I didn't think she had any family in town, though.”

“She doesn't. No one really knows much about her.”

If Betty didn't know than Natalie really must have kept her secrets to herself. Betty knew everyone and people seemed to confide in her freely. It made her a valuable asset to Danny, who people seemed to clam up around.

“Well, after we're done here everyone is going home to catch a few hours of shut-eye, but later today I want you and Mel to swing around to the bank and question her co-workers. Maybe one of them knows about family. Or enemies.”

Betty grinned, looking excited. She didn't get to do a lot of leg work. Danny thought she'd be a lot less excited after having to spend any amount of time with either of the lieutenants, but it was still nice to see that someone here enjoyed their job.

“Looks like that's a wrap,” Danny said, as the crime scene unit came out the door carrying a box full of tagged plastic bags of evidence.

“Are we calling it a night?” Betty asked. Danny couldn't blame her for wanting to take off; she'd worked a long shift before this and was supposed to be back on duty at noon tomorrow.

“Yeah, see if you can find Mel and tell her to wrap things up and get everyone home. I'm going to do a quick sweep through the house. Maybe look in the main bedroom, see if there's anything really obvious lying around.”

She had officers coming by in about an hour to do a full search of the whole house, but there was nothing wrong with getting a head start. She wanted to end this investigation as quickly as possible.

“Need any help?”

“Nah, go get some sleep.”

Danny headed back into the house, the smell of death permeating her nose, stepped carefully around the corpse of the late Natalie Farmer, and continued up the stair case. The main bedroom had the door wide open and she wasn't the first one to find it. Theo was inside peering at a bookcase.

“Find anything?” she asked.

He shrugged.

“Nothing here to find. No diary or incriminating notes. Though it does look like someone ripped the pages out of her contacts book.”

Danny looked at the remains of the contact information notebook lying on the desk. It was fairly large for a notebook and all the pages were missing leaving only the bent cover behind.

“Well, that's odd,” she said. “Why not take the whole book? Why rip out the pages?”

“Who knows why mad men do what they do?” Theo supplied, unhelpfully.

“We don't even know it was a man,” Danny reminded him.

Theo grunted but didn't respond otherwise.

“Why couldn't she have had a post-it note on her desk saying 'meet suspicious sociopath, 9pm'?” Danny said with a sigh.

“Is that when the crime scene unit puts the time of death?” Theo asked.

“They said somewhere between 8 and 9 most likely, but we'll know more once we get an autopsy.”

“Could have been a burglar, surprised her.” Theo pulled a book off the shelf at random and flipped through it.

“Door wasn't forced.”

“Half the town doesn't lock their doors.”

He had a point.

“True. Either way we don't have enough information to assume anything yet. We'll know more after the autopsy and the house search. Hopefully.”

“And if we don't?”

Danny gritted her teeth and dropped the remains of the contact book back onto the desk.

“Then we'll take it from there.”

Theo snorted and stuck the book back on the shelf.

“You should go home and get some rest,” Danny told him. “Tomorrow is going to be a crazy day for all of us.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he said, brushing past her out of the room. She considered calling him on his flippant manner, but honestly she was too damned tired to deal with this now.

First she needed to make sure everyone actually went home and got some rest, then she needed to head back to the station. The troops might need sleep but she was going to have to do without for the time being.

///////////

The sunlight woke Laura up the next morning. All the fresh, white snow for the sunbeams to reflect off of made everything intolerably bright, burning through the curtains and her eyelids.

“Laura, you're going to be late to work!” her father's voice called from downstairs.

She groaned and considered calling in sick and pulling a pillow over her head. But then, she considered calling in sick every morning.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!” she called back, reluctantly dragging herself out from under the thick blankets.

She shivered as her bare feet hit the hardwood floor and hurried across to stand on the rug in front of her closet. She dressed quickly, layering her clothes and pulling on heavy socks, before hurrying downstairs.

“You have time for breakfast?” her father asked, sticking his head out of the kitchen as she hopped across the living room trying to pull her shoe on without pausing.

Did it look like she had time for breakfast?

“No, I'll grab something at work.”

She paused by the door, lacing up her boots.

“Hey, dad?” she yelled back into the house.

“Yeah?”

“Was there anything on the news about the murder?”

“Nothing yet. I'll text you if I see anything.”

“Is there maybe someone at the station you still have an in with that you could find out more from?”

Her father joined her in the front hallway, no doubt tired of yelling. He regarded her sternly as she pulled her heavy coat out of the closet.

“Laura, I thought you were going to stay out of this.”

Well, yes. That had been the plan. But it was a stupid plan.

“I am, dad. I'm curious is all.”

“Well, stay curious. This is not something to go sticking your nose into.”

“I'm not sticking my nose anywhere.”

She wrapped her scarf around her neck and grabbed her gloves.

“Later, dad.”

The roads were covered with the slushy remains of the snowfall from the last night. Laura made a face as her car lurched through it. It would melt just enough that tonight, when the temperature dropped again, that it would all freeze into ice making the roads treacherous. She was glad she'd taken her car in last week for some basic maintenance even if it hadn't really needed it. One could never be too careful.

The parking lot of The Anglerfish Cafe was mostly empty when she pulled in, though there was a fancy BMW that Laura didn't recognize parked near the entrance. Even though the car had some splash marks on it (from driving through today's messy roads no doubt) it was suspiciously clean for a vehicle in Silas.

Frowning at the too-clean car, Laura headed in through the back door.

“Hey, JP!” she called to the man clattering around in the kitchen.

“Good morning, Miss. Hollis!” he called back, cheerfully.

“Don't you 'good morning' her!” Perry's annoyed voice cut through the kitchen. “She is twenty minutes late.”

Perry appeared from behind a rack of pans, hands on hips.

“You're late.”

Laura put on her best innocent smile.

“Am I really though?”

“Yes.” Perry did not look amused.

“Okay, so yes, maybe I'm late. But it was really cold this morning!” She tried to inch past Perry towards the door to the front. Over Perry's shoulder she saw JP vigorously shaking his head at her. She recognized this as his 'Perry is really mad, don't mess around' warning.

“Really, Laura? 'It was cold'? We live in Silas. It's cold here in the summer.”

“I'm sorry,” Laura said, hanging her head in shame that she didn't really feel. It was hard to get out of bed to come to a job she wasn't excited about.

“Well, we have a few customers up front. LaFontaine has been covering for you so go take over immediately. We'll discuss this later.”

Laura nodded and hurried past the irate red-head, exchanging a guilty grin with JP on the way out. She shed her coats, scarf, hat, and gloves onto a chair and hurried over to LaFontaine.

“Just in time,” LaFontaine greeted her and handed her a glass of tomato juice. “This goes to table four and she's probably ready to order by now.”

“Good morning to you, too,” Laura said to them, snatching the glass and grabbing an order pad and pen from under the bar counter.

“If you'd been here twenty minutes ago I'd have said good morning.”

“Don't you start on me, as well. I already had Perry attempt to murder me in the kitchen.”

Laf chuckled.

“Yeah, well, Perry likes things to be in order, people to show up on time, and everything to work the way it's supposed to. You know that.”

“Aren't I allowed to have an off day?” Laura grumbled, glaring at the glass of tomato juice she was holding.

“You've been having a lot of those recently,” Laf said, not looking at her.

Laura looked up at them. Had she? She hadn't really noticed.

“Earth to Laura, your customer is waiting.”

Laura scowled at LaFontaine and hurried away around the bar.

The woman sitting at table four had to be the owner of the fancy BMW outside, Laura decided. She looked sleek, and elegant like that car had. The woman smiled at Laura, perhaps a bit too broadly, almost predatory.

“One tomato juice,” Laura said, setting the glass down. “And are you ready to order?”

“You're not the server I had before,” the woman observed. She had a cadence to her speech that immediately labeled her as not from Silas. Too refined for these parts.

“Uh, yes. I just got in.”

“Running a little late, were we?”

Was _everyone_ going to get on her case for this?

“Yeah, rough morning.”

Well, getting yelled at by every single person ever for being late did make it a rough morning, right?

“And your responsibilities come second to your own problems.”

Wow, where did this complete stranger come off being judgmental to someone she just met? Still, Perry was already mad at Laura, best to grit her teeth and be nice.

“Oh, not at all. But accidents happen,” Laura said with forced cheerfulness.

The woman sipped her juice, regarding Laura over the rim of the glass.

“In my vast experience accidents only happen to the careless.”

Laura gripped her order pad so tightly she was amazed it wasn't instantly crushed.

“Can I take your order now?” she asked through gritted teeth.

What was it with infuriating women coming into the Anglerfish this week? The woman from last night had been bad enough, but this one was like nails on a chalkboard.

“Yes, I'll have the garden fresh omelette since that seems to be the only thing on this menu not fried in lard.”

Another person insulting the menu. Maybe they were related.

Laura made her way back behind the bar and slipped into the kitchen to give JP the order before coming back out to join LaFontaine at the bar.

“Do we have a sign outside that says 'judgmental jerks welcome' or something?” Laura complained.

“Yeah, she's a real piece of work, isn't she. Though I guess that's not surprising,” Laf said, fussing around with some glasses behind the bar.

“Not surprising? Why not surprising?”

“Well, she's the representative from that Corvae corporation. Matska Belmonde. Or Mattie as she calls herself.”

“The what who now?”

LaFontaine shook their head sadly.

“Laura, for someone who wants to be a journalist you have the worst grasp on current events of anyone I know.”

“Hey!”

“You know who Corvae is, yeah?”

“They've been buying up a lot of businesses and land in town, right?”

“Right. Well, Ms. Belmonde is one of their top brass here to oversee things. Though mostly she seems to spend all her time fighting with...”

The front door swung open and a lone figure swept in as majestically as its limp and cane would allow.

“...with Vordenberg,” Laf finished with a sigh.

The slightly-hunched older man swept his hat off in a half-bow to Laf and Laura before turning and lurching over to the table of Matska Belmonde.

Laura and LaFontaine leaned forward attempting to overhear the conversation unfolding at the table.

“...is an outrage beyond anything I have ever seen in all my long years. And I have seen some outrages in my years,” Vordenberg was saying. “Why back in my youth...”

“Vordie, darling,” Mattie cooed. “Do shut up.”

Vordie spluttered and held a hand to his heart.

“How dare you, madame. Why in all my years I've never been so insulted.”

“Oh, please.” Mattie stood up, sashaying around the edge of the table to tower over Vordenberg's hunched form. “I've barely gotten started.”

Perry came out of the kitchen and pushed a plate with Mattie's omelette on it into Laura's hands.

“Yeah, we might want to hold off on that for a second,” LeFontaine said.

“Oh really? Why?” Perry asked, not having noticed the ongoing conflict. LaFontaine motioned towards the table.

“Oh my,” Perry said. “Do you think I should call the police?”

“No need,” LaFontaine replied, cheerfully. “I just saw Danny's jeep pull up out front.”

And sure enough Chief of Police Danny Lawrence swept through the front door at that moment. At LaFontaine's completely unsubtle hand waving and finger pointing, Danny redirected towards the table four.

“Okay, people, let's all take a deep breath and calm down here,” Danny said, moving to stand between Mattie and Vordenberg.

“She thinks she can simply sweep into town...”

“I was minding my own business, getting breakfast when this...”

Danny pinched the base of her nose.

“Both of you, be quiet!”

And for a wonder, they both stopped talking.

“Listen, I have been up all night and I am very tired and my head is pounding. So I'm going to need you...” She pointed at Mattie. “...to sit down and you...” This time she pointed at Vordenberg. “...to either leave or sit down. On the other side of the room.”

Both of them glared at Danny, but after a minute Vordenberg stiffly withdrew and hobbled back out the front door. Mattie smirked after him and reseated herself at the table. Danny gave her one last warning look at walked over to the bar.

“Laura, the omelette!” Perry jabbed her in the ribs.

Laura grimaced in frustration; she'd been hoping to question Danny about the murder.

“One garden omelette,” she said as she deposited the plate in front of Mattie. “Will there be anything else?”

“Nothing for now,” Mattie said, seeming distracted.

“Enjoy your meal.”

Laura only made it a few steps before Mattie's voice stopped her.

“Wait, one moment, server girl.”

Laura turned back.

“What's your name?”

“Laura Hollis.”

“Daughter of Jack Hollis?”

Laura frowned.

“Yeah, how'd you know that?”

“Oh, darling, I know everything. Now run along.” Mattie waved her hand, dismissing her.

The frown stayed on Laura's face as she made her way back to the bar.

/////////

Laura stepped out into the sunshine through the back door of the diner. It was her 'lunch' break, which she took at 3pm after the lunch rush had died down, and she had to go shopping. She was glad she'd chosen to wear her waterproof boots that came up above her ankle since the slush on the sidewalks was making a mess everywhere. The salt that had been put down on the sidewalks crunched under her feet as she made her way down the main street past the little shops.

All the stores here were locally owned; not a single chain store existed in all of Silas. You had to drive for miles and miles outside of town to find the nearest Starbucks. And the residents liked it this way. Many stores here had been passed down generation to generation with only the occasional upgrade or renovation. LaFontaine and Perry had been lucky to find as much acceptance as they had being outsiders who moved into town.

It was nice to get out of the diner for a few minutes. The morning had been busy, and frustrating. Danny had stayed to get breakfast but had been tight-lipped on all matters relating to the murder from the previous night.

Laura ducked into the small grocery/convenience store at the end of the block, waving cheerfully to the old lady who ran it.

_I know everyone in this town and they all know me._

The thought was a bit glum. College had been exciting, even if it had only been a few hours away. There'd been new people, new places, new everything, and Laura had immersed herself in all of it to the fullest. Coming back to Silas…. It had felt like a step backwards.

Laura moved up and down the narrow shop aisles, pulling items off the shelf and dropping them into the small plastic shopping basket. Her father had made a list of basic household supplies they were running low on, and some things to stockpile in case this blizzard the news kept warning of actually hit. Some part of her perversely hoped the blizzard did hit so she could spend a few days home in bed not doing anything. Except shoveling. She really hated shoveling snow.

She drummed her fingers on the side of her leg as she waited for the old lady at the cash register to finish ringing up her purchases. This was her life now. Go to work, go to the store, go home, repeat. This wasn't a real life, this was barely an existence of any sort. She was propelling herself through this endless routine with no hope of ever escaping, and every time she tried to do something to fix the situation everyone shot her down.

She paid for her purchases and exited the shop, still lost in her own bleak thoughts. Which was why she didn't notice the other person on the sidewalk until she ran straight into them.

“Hey! Watch it.” the person snapped.

“Oh, gosh, I'm sorry,” Laura said, getting her balance back. She looked up to see who it was she'd almost knocked over and very nearly face-palmed in the middle of the sidewalk. Of course it would be that annoying woman who was in the diner the other night. The one who wouldn't quit it with the nicknames. And who hadn't left a tip.

“Oh, it's the cranky little creampuff,” the woman said, glancing her up and down. The mocking tone was still there but it had less force behind it than the other night. She sounded tired.

“Laura. My name is Laura.” Even as she reiterated it she knew it probably wouldn't stop the stupid nicknames.

“Right, of course it is.” The other woman sounded unimpressed and slightly bored.

“You still haven't told me your name, you know.”

“First you're a lousy server, then you almost knock me down in the street, and now you want my name?”

“You know what? Nevermind,” Laura snapped. She turned to go.

“It's Carmilla.”

Laura turned back, suspicious.

“Why did you tell me? You couldn't even be bothered to leave a tip last night, which is just plain rude.”

“Well, you were a pretty lousy server.”

Laura glared at her and noticed that Carmilla was again only wearing a leather jacket over a shirt. And her shoes, while quite spiffy, did not look suitable for tromping through snow. Not from around here for sure.

“Aren't you freezing?” she asked.

Carmilla shrugged.

“It's a bit cold, I guess.”

Laura could see she was shivering slightly and noticeably trying to keep her teeth from chattering. She felt a bit of smug satisfaction from that.

Carmilla's eyes narrowed, perhaps detecting Laura's smugness.

“Well, as stimulating as this conversation isn't, I have places to be, cupcake.” She moved towards the curb and pulled a car key out of the pocket of her jacket.

“Wait, is that your car?” Laura asked, following her almost against her will.

“Uh, no, I beat up a little old lady and stole her keys. Obviously.”

Laura rolled her eyes.

“You need to take this car in to the shop. Like immediately.”

Carmilla looked genuinely puzzled.

“Why would I want to do that?”

“For starters, your tires. They're not snow tires. It sometimes takes days for the roads here to be plowed so you're going to need snow tires. Those tires don't even look like all-season tires.”

“They're not what now? I mean, they're tires.”

Laura did face-palm this time.

“Oh my god, how have you even been driving this thing?”

Carmilla was scowling at her now, clearly not enjoying the situation at all.

“The normal way, foot on the gas pedal.”

“And you haven't noticed that your tires can't hold the road with all the snow and ice everywhere?” Laura could feel herself getting more agitated but couldn't head it off.

“Well, I guess I've been sliding around a bit more than usual. I figured that was normal here.”

“No. That is not normal at all. Take your car to a garage and get it fitted out for winter driving. Like, right now.” Laura crossed her arms, staring at Carmilla challengingly.

“And why would I want to do that?” Carmilla asked, sounding peeved. She crossed her arms to mirror Laura and glared right back.

“Because driving in the snow with the wrong tires is really dangerous!”

“Oh, are you worried about my safety? That's too cute.” Carmilla's voice was dripping with sarcasm now.

Laura shook her head in frustration.

“If it was only your safety I'd say go drive yourself into a ditch. But it's not. If your car spins out other people can get hurt!”

Carmilla stopped frowning and leaned forward to peer at her. Laura backed up a step, still angry, but now a bit nervous as well.

“What?” Laura asked, feeling suddenly self-concious.

“You care way too much about my tires. Why?”

“I don't want someone dying because you're too stupid to know how to drive in the snow.” This was probably the sort of thing Perry kept telling her she needed to stop saying to people.

Carmilla shrugged and moved back.

“Whatever, creampuff. Don't you have a job you should be at instead of here annoying me?”

Laura pulled her phone out of her pocket.

“Oh, crap!” She was going to be late getting back if she didn't run. Perry was going to murder her.

“Listen,” she called as she backed away, “just go to a garage. And buy yourself some better clothes, too.”

Carmilla glanced down at her outfit, looking outraged.

“No one deserves to freeze to death,” Laura continued. “Not even you.” She turned and hurried away down the street, hoping she could make it back in time.

////////

Laura burst through the back door of the diner one minute early.

“Welcome back, Ms. Hollis!” JP called from where he was stirring a large pot on the stovetop.

“Thanks, JP! Is it really busy?” Laura took her time wiping her feet on the mat inside the door, trying to knock the snow out of her shoes.

“Not at the moment. I believe Deputy Kirsch and his young lady are currently our only guests.”

“Oh, Kirsch and SJ are here?” Laura liked the young couple well enough. In small doses. She shed a few layers of coats, smoothed her shirt out and ran a hand through her hair in a failed attempt to get rid of some of the static from her hat.

“Indeed they are. I am currently making some of our holiday stew for them. I'll have it ready quite soon.”

When she'd first met JP the over-articulated pattern of his speech had sounded funny to her (not to mention the British accent), but now it was simply JP.

She slipped out of the kitchen into the area behind the bar to find LaFontaine in deep conversation with Deputy Kirsch and SJ. The couple were regulars here, which wasn't surprising since SJ worked as the other server here covering the shifts Laura didn't have. Not that she needed to. Rumor was SJ's family had owned a lot of the land in town and she had inherited all of it.

“So, we're thinking, jacuzzi in the living room?” Kirsch was saying in his normal overly-animated manner. “That'd be cool, right? Right?” He looked at SJ for approval and she smiled at his as if he were a puppy who'd done a cute trick and patted him on the arm.

“Dude, that would be wicked cool,” LaFontaine agreed. “I would probably move in.”

“We'll talk about it,” SJ said, fondly.

“LaFontaine do you have a minute?” Perry called from the kitchen door. Laura guessed she must have come in only a moment after her since she hadn't seen Perry in there before.

“So, how soon is the new house going to be ready for you to move in to?” Laura asked, taking LaFontaine's place at the bar as the red head slipped back into the kitchen.

“Well, that depends on how soon we can agree on the interior design,” SJ said, smiling.

“Well, a jacuzzi in the living room _does_ sound, uh, wicked cool, but maybe a _teensy_ bit impractical?” Laura offered.

Kirsch's entire face fell, but then immediately brightened again.

“Oh, maybe we could have it in the master bedroom then?”

Laura laughed, her residual bad mood from her encounter with Carmilla fading away.

“Kirsch, maybe give it a pass on the whole jacuzzi situation?” Laura suggested, trying to help SJ out. Kirsch looked sad again.

“Aw, cut him some slack,” SJ said, taking Kirsch's hand. “He had a rough night.”

Oh, right. The murder. Somehow it had slipped her mind in all the hustle today.

“You were at the murder scene! What was it like? Who died?” Laura leaned forward eagerly.

Kirsch looked around, uncomfortably.

“Uh, it was pretty harsh and I can't talk about it or Danny will be mad.”

“He lives in constant fear of making Danny mad,” SJ said. “I wish I knew how she pulled it off. Maybe I could ask her for lessons.”

“Hey, not cool, bro!” Kirsch said pulling his hand back. SJ leaned in and gave him a brief kiss which seemed to mollify him. Laura looked away, torn between enjoying how cute they were and a small thread of jealousy. She'd had that once, the closeness they had. Another thing that she'd lost when she'd been forced to return to Silas.

All three of them froze when loud yelling came from the kitchen. Laura sighed. This had been happening a lot lately.

“I'll go deal with this,” she said, turning away from the bar.

She pushed through the door back into the kitchen to find Perry and LaFontaine standing across from each other, both with arms folded looking furious.

“It's my money and I am not _required_ to tell you what I'm doing with it!” Perry said, shrilly.

“Perr, of course not. I'm only trying to protect our business here. I'm not saying you have to….”

“I think that's exactly what you're saying! I have already sacrificed so much for this place. Well, there's some things I have to hold back for myself and this is one of them.”

They both realized Laura had entered the room at the same moment and turned to look at her. She held up both her hands, defensively.

“Uh, guys, maybe a liiiiiittle less screaming where the customers can hear you?”

Perry turned her furious gaze back to LaFontaine.

“You see? Now we're letting this upset the customers as well! We are done discussing this.”

She breezed past Laura and out into the main room. JP's head popped up from behind a counter, glancing around to see if it was safe to come out. LaFontaine stayed standing where they were, grimacing at the floor.

“Uh, Laf? Is everything okay?” Laura asked. “Should I be worried about my job?”

LaFontaine sighed.

“No, Laura, you don't have to worry. Everything's fine. Perry is...she's overreacting. I'll talk her down.”

They hurried after Perry leaving Laura and JP alone in the kitchen.

“Mind if I hide out in here for a few minutes?” Laura asked. “I don't want to run into the middle of whatever that was again.”

JP nodded.

“Of course, Miss. Hollis. You're always welcome here.”

Laura leaned against the counter near the stove as JP returned to cooking.

“Soooo, any idea what that was all about?” she asked, attempting to sound casual and failing horribly.

“I wouldn't like to speculate.”

“Oh, come on, you must have some idea?”

JP looked uncomfortable.

“It's none of my business, Miss. Hollis. I try not to listen in.”

“That must be difficult. I'm pretty sure everyone on the block could hear them yelling.”

JP looked troubled but remained mute on the subject. Laura gave up after a few more minutes, and, figuring that the lack of yelling meant it was safe, returned to the main room of the diner.

LaFontaine was back at the bar talking to Kirsch and SJ, and Perry was nowhere to be seen. Also, Chief of Police Danny Lawrence had joined the group. Laura hurried over.

“Oh, hey, Laura,” Danny said. She looked exhausted and Laura suspected she hadn't been to sleep yet.

“Hey, Danny. You sleep at all?”

Danny groaned and rubbed her eyes with one hand.

“No time. I'll take a nap at the station whenever I get a chance.”

“It's that crazy, huh?” LaFontaine asked, trying not to sound over-eager for details.

Danny looked back and forth between LaFontaine and Laura's expectant faces.

“Okay, we're releasing all of this to the press in an hour, so you might as well know now.”

“Yes!” Laura did a triumphant fist-pump which Kirsch copied, getting them both glares from Danny.

“Honestly, you're both like children.”

“Sorry, Danny, please continue,” Laura said, composing herself.

“So, all we're saying right now is that last night someone killed Natalie Farmer in her residence in the evening. Inquires are proceeding.”

“Oh, man, Natalie? She only moved here a few weeks ago,” LaFontaine said. “She only came in here maybe once.”

Laura couldn't even remember what Natalie looked like. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved that it wasn't someone she knew.

 

“Do you know who did it?” she asked.

“Laura, what part of 'inquires are proceeding' didn't you hear?” LaFontaine asked.

Danny snorted, amused at both of them.

“I wish we knew. I don't need this shit right now.”

“Don't worry, boss, we'll find them. No one murders babes in this town and gets away with it.” Kirsch looked determined.

“I hope you're right, Kirsch.” Danny said.

////////////

Carmilla let the door slam behind her.

“Ah, there you are, darling.” Mattie stood in the hallway of her house, leaning against the wall in a casually elegant manner Carmilla had never mastered.

“Hey, Mattie. Want to fill me in on what's going on?”

“Ah, yes, well, things have gotten a bit more complicated, I'm afraid.”

Carmilla groaned. She didn't need more complicated. On top of all the other shit she had to do she now had to get new tires or something. Maybe. She was considering it, anyway.

“I don't like complications, Mattie. I like things to be simple so I can get the hell out of this frozen dump.”

“I promise you, your mother likes complications even less than you do.”

Carmilla couldn't argue with that.

“Is it that bad? This, complication?” She was shivering a bit even inside the house. Maybe the annoying girl had been right and she needed a warmer jacket.

“Well, there are actually two complications, but one of them I'm dealing with. The other one, we may need your help with.”

“Okay, I'm listening. Now stop being all mysterious and tell me what's going on.”

Mattie motioned Carmilla to follow her further into the house.

“Let's sit down, darling, this might take a little while to explain.”

Carmilla followed Mattie back into her living room. Outside a light snow had started to fall again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to update every weekend. This chapter would have been out a few days earlier if the Mets weren't in the world series right now.
> 
> If you don't understand the chapter title, go watch Twin Peaks and improve your life.
> 
> My [tumblr](http://asleepinawell.tumblr.com/).


	3. Strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Investigations continue. Carmilla makes some terrible attempts to get to know Laura better, and Laura continuously demonstrates her lack of tact.

 

“And you didn't see anyone enter or leave the house during the night?” Betty asked.

“Not a soul,” Ms. Partridge said, her wide eyes fixed on Betty's face.

Mel grumbled in disgust and leaned back on the tacky throw blanket that covered the lumpy couch. They were sitting in the Partridge's living room late on the afternoon after the murder and drinking very weak tea while the elderly Ms. Partridge proceeded to give them 'the scoop' as she called it. Whatever she thought 'the scoop' was didn't seem even remotely useful to Betty.

“So, let's review. You said you looked out your window at around 10 o'clock last night and saw the neighbor's door swinging open. You waited about fifteen minutes to see if anyone came to close it and then you went over yourself and found Natalie lying in the hallway.”

“She was dead, she was.”

“Yes, that is _exactly_ the sort of helpful intel we've been looking for,” Mel snipped.

Betty winced, but old Ms. Partridge didn't seem to understand the sarcasm and smiled cheerfully at the women.

“And then you came back here and phoned the police, right?” Betty finished.

“Yes, dear. I did wait a few minutes before calling, I was quite upset, you understand.”

The old lady didn't look upset, but Betty figured maybe half a day was enough to get over it for some people. Not her, though. She'd be having nightmares for weeks.

“I think we're done here,” Mel announced, standing up off the couch abruptly and stalking away towards the front door.

Betty hurriedly made her polite goodbyes to the old lady and followed the irritable Lieutenant outside to the car. Mel was already in the driver's seat with the engine on and started pulling out of the driveway before Betty even got her door shut.

Betty sat silently in the passenger's seat, her eyes fixed out the window, ignoring the woman next to her. Mel let the silence stand until they turned the corner.

“I can feel you judging me from over there,” Mel said. She sounded more amused than angry.

“I'm not judging you, ma'am.” Lies.

“You want to know why I was so rude to the sweet little old lady and didn't quietly enjoy my tea and biscuits and nod sympathetically like a good officer.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Betty continued to look out the window, watching some children having a snowball fight on their front lawn.

“And are you planning on running to the Chief and telling her about how _awful_ I was?”

Betty turned back around to find Mel peering at her.

“Watch the road!” she snapped, unable to stop herself.

Mel rolled her eyes but turned back to driving.

“And, no. I'm not going to tell Chief Lawrence anything about that.”

Mel looked slightly surprised which annoyed Betty. Like Mel was one to talk about being the office snitch. Everyone knew she spied on Theo almost as often as she actually did her job.

“I don't understand why you needed to be so rude to her, though.”

Mel laughed.

“It was a bullshit assignment. The old lady is neurotic and half-blind and didn't know anything. Sending us out to talk to her is a rookie assignment. I'm basically here babysitting your inexperienced ass.”

“Danny wouldn't have sent us if she didn't think it was important,” Betty argued. Though she suspected Mel might be on to something. Betty _was_ really green and she still got nervous questioning little old ladies who offered them tea.

“You are such a brown-noser, Spielsdorf. I guess that's why you're the spoiled favorite.”

“I'm not the favorite!”

Was she?

Mel snorted with laughter.

“Yeah, okay, sure. Whatever.”

“I'm not.”

She sort of wanted to be. Was that wrong? That was probably wrong.

Mel turned on the radio and they remained silent for the rest of the short drive back.

////////////////

It took two days for the autopsy report to be completed and handed over to Danny. Her first impulse was to read the entire thing immediately, but she stopped herself, took a nap and got some coffee first. She'd been running on the bare minimum of sleep and food for the last few days and she wanted to make sure she was thinking clearly.

After glancing through the report she called her Lieutenants in, and then called Betty in as well as an afterthought. Betty had done some of the legwork on the case after all.

“Autopsy report,” Danny said, once they were all assembled in her office. She tapped her finger on top of the papers.

“Anything new in there?” Mel asked, trying hard not to sound curious.

“Whoever hit her was taller than her from the angle of the blows. Not clear exactly how much taller. There was no DNA evidence anywhere on her that was of any use. She hadn't been sexually assaulted or attacked in any other way. Nothing under her fingernails either. Probably didn't have any time to fight back.”

Danny paused to sip her coffee, taking the moment to glance around the room. Mel was feigning boredom, picking at her nails, Theo was watching her expressionlessly, and Betty was writing notes in her notebook. When Betty stopped writing she looked up, pen poised, and Danny couldn't help but smile at how keen she was.

“Time of death is around eight thirty pm. Judging from what the sweep of the house found she had come home shortly before that, hadn't even finished hanging up her coats. We're not sure where she was previous to that. Oh, and her cellphone was missing.”

“So, basically, we know nothing new,” Theo said, a slight smirk playing on the edge of his lips.

“If her phone was missing and someone ripped up her contact book doesn't that point to the murderer being someone she knew?” Betty asked, looking up from her notebook.

Danny felt a surge of pride.

“It seems likely, for sure. Well-thought-out, Deputy.”

Betty grinned and blushed and then exchanged a quick glance with Mel. Her blush grew brighter and the smile on her face evaporated. What was that about then?

“We also know from interviewing her co-workers that she was seeing someone as of quite recently,” Danny continued.

Danny had taken Theo down to the bank to interview Natalie's co-workers. Most of them barely knew her, but she'd mentioned having to leave for a date one night, refusing to say who with. It wasn't much of a lead and having Betty and Kirsch run around town asking every single person if they'd seen Natalie on a date with someone had not yielded any results so far.

“What's our next move, boss?” Mel asked, still focused on her fingernails.

“We did get in touch with the woman who was her emergency contact listed at her job and she's flying in. Seems to be a college friend or something like that. No immediate family could be found.”

“So we're going to sit tight until this friend, who clearly hasn't seen Natalie since she moved here, arrives and hope that something she says is the key to unlocking this mystery?” Theo shook his head, sadly.

“Do you have any better ideas, _Lieutenant Straka_?”

Theo held his hands up.

“I wouldn't want to step on your toes, Lawrence.”

“I'm not paying you to be polite, Straka. I'm paying you to do your job. So if you have an idea, then let's hear it.”

Theo looked uncomfortable and said nothing.

“Okay, then. Natalie's friend is named Cindy Jenkins. She's flying in to a nearby town and then driving up here. I left her directions on how to get to the station, so everyone keep an eye out for her some time tomorrow afternoon. Questions?”

Everyone remained silent.

“Good. Everyone grab a copy of the autopsy report and go over it. See if you can find something I missed.”

/////////////

“Looks like your favorite person is here, Laura,” LaFontaine said with an evil grin.

Laura stood up from where she was storing glasses on the bottom shelf behind the bar and glanced around the diner.

“Oh. _Her_.”

The woman who'd introduced herself as Carmilla had slid into a booth on the far side of the room and was slouched down on the seat regarding the bar with an air of casual insolence.

“Perry's in a mood today. Go easy or she'll have both our guts for garters.”

Laura sighed and headed around the bar.

“Why the long face, cupcake?” Up close Carmilla looked really tired. There were noticeable dark circles under her eyes and her face seemed even paler than before.

“There's nothing wrong with my face, thank you.”

As soon as the words left her mouth she cringed. She was supposed to be being nice so Perry didn't destroy her. Oops.

Carmilla didn't seem to mind, though. She simply shrugged and took the menu Laura offered without comment.

“Can I bring you a drink while you're looking over the menu?” Laura asked.

“Coffee.”

Laura noticed that Carmilla was still only wearing her jacket over a shirt and caught herself before she could shake her head at the woman's stubbornness.

“I'll be right back with that,” was all she said.

She poured the coffee at the bar, watching Carmilla out of the corner of her eye. When Carmilla finished with the menu, she dropped it on the table and leaned her head back against the booth, shutting her eyes and rubbing her temples with her fingertips. Laura brought the coffee back to her table and placed it down without comment.

“Are you ready to order?”

“Yeah, grilled cheese and fries. And no pickles anywhere on my plate under any circumstances.”

“What's wrong with pickles?” It wasn't something she should really be asking a customer, but she couldn't hold back her own curiosity.

“They're gross.”

She didn't seem to have anything more to say so Laura left and gave JP her order. On a whim, she slipped out the back door of the diner and into the parking lot, shivering because she hadn't taken her coat. This would only take a second though. She moved around the side of the building to look at the cars in the parking lot. It was an off hour so only Laf, JP, and Laura's cars were there. And Carmilla's, which was now sporting snow tires. Laura smirked and hurried back inside.

“Grilled cheese and fries, Miss. Hollis,” JP said, handing over a plate.

Laura hurried back into the diner and over to Carmilla's table where she deposited the plate in front of her.

“Nice tires,” she said, dryly as she turned to move away from the table. She heard Carmilla grunt behind her and her smirk came back.

“Cupcake. Wait.”

Laura paused, annoyed that her grand exit was being ruined but not wanting to be rude to a customer.

“Did you need something else?” she asked, turning back around. “Oh! Mayo, right?”

Carmilla waved this away.

“I think I'll have my fries plain today. I wanted to ask you something.”

Laura walked back to the table.

“Sure. What's up?”

“I heard there was a murder in town a few nights ago.”

Carmilla now had Laura's undivided attention.

“Yeah, there was.”

“Do you know anything about it? Like from some of your police friends or something?”

Laura shook her head.

“They don't tell me much of anything.” She couldn't quite manage to keep the bitterness out of her tone.

“So you don't know if they have any suspects?” Carmilla was watching her closely, expression carefully blank.

“Not that I've heard, but as I said, they don't tell me things.” She scowled. “I'll probably be the last person in town to find out who did it at this rate.”

Carmilla nodded, not looking at Laura anymore.

“Hmm, well thanks anyway.”

“Sorry I couldn't be of more help.”

“And thanks for the other thing, too.”

“Other thing?”

“The car advice. It made driving a lot easier. One less headache to worry about.”

Laura tucked some hair behind her ear.

“Well, proper cold-weather driving safety is important for everyone. Not having your car properly outfitted effects more than only you. Being a responsible driver is everyone's job.”

Carmilla stared at her in exasperation and rolled her eyes.

“Wow. If I'd known thanking you was going to get me lectured again I wouldn't have bothered.”

Laura bit back an annoyed response. So maybe she _had_ sounded a little like an infomercial, but that didn't mean she was wrong.

“Enjoy your meal,” she said, and left before she said something unfortunate.

Danny Lawrence walked in the door as Laura was making her way back to the bar. They exchanged a brief smile as Danny slid onto a bar stool in front of LaFontaine. Laura was surprised when Danny waved her over; Danny had been being somewhat distant the last few days.

“Look, I need to ask you two something because I'm running out of ideas on this one,” Danny began without preamble.

“Sure thing, Lawrence,” LaFontaine agreed. Laura leaned in eagerly. Maybe Danny's question would give her some insight into the murder investigations, because she was drawing a blank on her own.

“We've found out that Natalie was seeing someone, but no one seems to know who. Since everyone in town comes in here sooner or later I was hoping one of you had seen something that might point me in the right direction.”

Laura shook her head and LaFontaine looked apologetic.

“Sorry, Lawrence, haven't seen or heard anything. Natalie's only been in here once, as far as I remember.”

Laura couldn't even remember seeing Natalie in here once. It must have been on SJ's shift.

“When was that?” Danny asked. “And was she by herself?”

“Uh, about a week ago, and no. She was with that woman from Corvae, Belmonde,” LaFontaine said.

Danny scrunched her eyebrows together and pursed her lips.

“Matska Belmonde? Now that's interesting. Why would she be meeting with Natalie?”

“Beats me. I just work here.”

“You didn't hear anything they were talking about?”

“Nope. You could try asking SJ, though. She was waiting on their table so it's possible she did.”

“Do you think Mattie had something to do with Natalie's death?” Laura asked.

Danny looked uncomfortable.

“There's no reason to assume anything like that, but if Natalie was connected to Corvae it would at least be a new avenue of investigation.”

“Now that is odd. What's she doing here?” LaFontaine muttered, looking past Danny towards the front door.

Valerie Barnes was toddling in the front door, glaring around the room with a general air of hostility.

“Old Lady Valerie never comes in here,” Laura said, watching as the notoriously cranky old woman weaved her way inside.

Much to the surprise of all three people at the bar, Carmilla jumped up from her seat to greet the old woman and lead her back over to her table. The old woman settled down at the table and focused all her malice on Carmilla.

“I guess I should go take her order?” Laura asked LaFontaine. Valerie hated anyone who hadn't been born in Silas and avoided the Anglerfish like the plague. However she was also on their list of seniors who they delivered hot meals to once a week, which was Laura's least favorite part of her job. A cranky old hypocrite was not a fun person to visit.

But when she approached the table, Carmilla waved her off.

“We're fine here, cupcake. Go back to your plotting at the bar and leave us in peace.”

Laura felt a wave of relief and hurried away.

“I wonder what she wants with Carmilla,” Laura said as she returned to where Laf and Danny were.

“She's new around here,” Danny said, eyeing Carmilla over her shoulder. “Got here a few nights ago, right?”

“First time I saw her was the night Natalie died,” LaFontaine supplied.

“Really. Well, isn't _that_ interesting,” Danny mused to herself.

“You think she did it?” Laura asked, eagerly.

“Laura, I don't assume everyone is guilty at the slightest drop of a hat,” Danny said, rolling her eyes. “I only find it interesting that we get a stranger in town the same day we have our first murder in decades. What time was she in here that night?”

“Uh, I think she got in here a little after ten pm,” LaFontaine said.

Danny nodded to herself but didn't comment.

“When did the murder happen?” Laura asked. “Would she have had time to commit it?”

“Calm down there, Hollis. We're not releasing that information yet, and also stop assuming everyone is guilty! You'd make a terrible cop.”

Laura sulked.

“Well, she's a huge jerk.”

“Could be, but that doesn't mean she's a killer.” Danny was smiling at her in a fond way that annoyed Laura even more.

“Why is she meeting with Valerie Barnes? I mean, that seems suspicious, right?” Laura didn't want to let this go.

“Unusual, but not really suspicious. I can't stop people from getting lunch together.”

Danny left soon after with a carton of take-out to return to work. Laura tried to keep an eye on Carmilla and Valerie while attending her other duties but that only resulted in her dropping a plate and getting yelled at. When Valerie left rather abruptly twenty minutes later, Laura hurried over to Carmilla's table.

“Check?” she asked.

“Yeah, thanks,” Carmilla said, distracted.

“I've never seen Valerie Barnes in here before,” Laura said, trying to sound casual. “She usually avoids this place, you know.”

“Oh?” Carmilla didn't even seem to be listening, drumming her fingers on the table and gazing out the window.

“Yeah, it's pretty impressive you got her to come in here at all. Must have been something really important for her to do that.”

Carmilla turned to look at Laura finally.

“Not really. Are you going to give me my check, creampuff?”

Laura hid her disappointment in not getting a better answer and dropped Carmilla's check on the table.

Carmilla glanced down at it and then pulled some bills out of her pocket and thrust them at Laura before she could leave.

“Here. Keep the change.”

She got up and left through the front door before Laura could even count the cash in her hand. There was way too much.

At least she'd gotten a tip this time.

////////////

Carmilla dropped onto the couch with an exaggerated sigh, stretching her arms out to either side so she took up the whole couch.

“I take it that means it didn't go well?” Mattie sat down in the deep leather armchair across from her.

“That old lady is a piece of work,” Carmilla grumbled, leaning her head back.

“So she wasn't interested in our proposal?”

“Not even a little.” Carmilla pushed herself up so she could face Mattie. “Everyone in this damn town is so opposed to even the suggestion of change. So small-minded and set in their ways.”

“Definitely a tough nut to crack,” Mattie agreed. “But that's why your mother sent you here, darling.”

“And I'm failing miserably, so good plan, mom. Well done.” She rested her chin in her palm and propped it up on her thigh.

“Well, don't worry too much about the old lady, she's not the only fish in the sea, and certainly not the biggest. We'll look into other methods of dealing with her.”

Carmilla raised an eyebrow. “Other methods?”

Mattie scoffed and waved a dismissive hand at Carmilla.

“Don't give me that look.”

“You forget that I'm very familiar with some of my mother's... _other_ methods.”

“I don't forget anything. But that's nothing for you to trouble your pretty little head about right now. We have some other people for you to talk to.”

Mattie picked up a stack of papers off the coffee table between them and handed them over. Carmilla took them and flipped though the pages.

“Everything you need should be in there.”

Carmilla nodded as she continued looking the pages over. She flipped another page and froze.

“This one,” she said. She held the page up to show Mattie.

“Oh, yes, we're not sure how useful he'll be, he may not have much we need, and he's going to be very hard to reach.”

“Why hard to reach?”

Mattie leaned back, sipping her drink without taking her eyes off Carmilla.

“Well, he got injured a number of years ago and has mobility issues. Doesn't leave the house much. The only way to get to him is through his daughter.”

“Yeah, I think I've met her,” Carmilla said, looking down at the page. Jack Hollis, one child, Laura Hollis.

“Well hopefully you made a good impression because you're going to need to cultivate a relationship with her if you intend to get anywhere near her father.”

Carmilla almost laughed at the irony.

“At least I left her a tip this time.”

/////////////

Carmilla hadn't planned to start 'cultivating' her relationship with grumpy little Laura Hollis so soon, but when she saw her walking down the street the next morning she figured there was no time like the present to start. She pulled her car over to park along the curb and rolled down the window.

“Hey, cupcake. Need a ride? I've got the right tires and everything now.”

Laura looked up, startled, and then rolled her eyes.

“I don't get into cars with people I don't know, as a rule.”

Carmilla caught herself before she could roll her eyes right back. She rolled the window back up and slid out of the car, moving to stand by Laura on the sidewalk.

“Do you think I'm going to abduct you?” she asked, keeping her tone light, teasing.

“Not really.” Laura was watching her with narrowed eyes.

“What, then? You're looking at me like I kicked your puppy.” Carmilla slouched back, leaning against the side of her car.

“I don't have a puppy.”

“It's an expression, sweetheart.” What was with her today?

“I know that.” Laura was silent for a moment and Carmilla used the time to really look at her for the first time. She was pretty enough, but the dark circles under her eyes made her look washed out, exhausted. Carmilla thought back about some of the things she'd read in Jack Hollis's file and thought she might have an idea why.

“Why are you in Silas?” Laura asked, suddenly.

“Running some errands for my mother,” Carmilla replied, carefully. “Family business and all.”

“Where were you Monday night before you came to the Anglerfish?”

Carmilla's eyebrows shot up. Not what she had been expecting at all.

“Monday night, let's see. I got into town Monday afternoon. Hmm, that was the night that woman got killed, wasn't it?”

Laura flushed, not meeting her gaze.

“You think I killed her, cupcake?”

“It was only a question.” Laura looked really uncomfortable now, and perhaps a bit contrite.

“Are you done with the interrogation or was there something else you wanted to ask?”

“I'm done. Sorry.” She didn't sound very sorry.

“No harm, no foul.”

There was a loud bang from down the street and Carmilla reacted without thinking. She grabbed Laura by the shoulders and forced her down into a sitting position next to her car, hovering over her. Her hand dipped into her jacket pocket, wrapping around the object she carried there.

“Uh, what are you doing? Have you never heard a car backfire before?” Laura asked, trying to push her back.

Carmilla stood up enough to peer up and down the street. Yeah, it had probably only been a car. Old habits, though.

“Uh, sorry about that,” she said, offering Laura a hand up.

Laura ignored her hand and stood up, brushing herself off.

“Where are you from, anyway, the wild west?”

Carmilla snorted.

“You're not far off on that.”

“Huh?”

“Nevermind. Let me buy you breakfast to make up for it.”

Laura looked confused.

“Uh, breakfast?”

“Yeah, most important meal of the day. You're headed to work, right? Let me buy you something to eat there. As an apology for tackling you. And for the whole not leaving a tip thing.”

Laura looked unsure.

“Come on, I promise I don't bite.”

She needed Laura to start trusting her.

“I guess that would be okay,” she said, finally.

“Good, let's go then.”

They walked off down the street together, a careful distance between them.

/////////////

It was half an hour before her shift started, so Laura had no time conflict with the impromptu breakfast, but she felt guilty having LaFontaine as the server at their table. LaFontaine didn't seem to find it awkward at all and was grinning at her and Carmilla in a very obnoxious manner.

“So, have you lived here your whole life?” Carmilla asked, sipping her coffee.

“Yeah,” Laura said, wrapping her hands around her mug of cocoa. “I grew up here.”

“Never wanted to leave?”

Laura scowled down at her drink. This was not a topic she felt like discussing with someone who was practically a stranger, even if they _were_ a really attractive stranger.

“I left for college. I came back here after.”

“For work?” Carmilla leaned back, watching her closely. Laura felt awkward under her gaze.

“Something like that.”

Carmilla sighed.

“I'm not trying to pry. I'm really bad at small talk.”

Laura smiled a little.

“I can tell.”

She wished she knew what Carmilla wanted from her.

“What do you want from me?”

Okay, so her brain to mouth filter was a bit off today.

Carmilla shurgged.

“I don't want anything. Can't I buy someone breakfast without an ulterior motive?”

“Probably not. Most people have a motive for the things they do.” Laura knew she was giving the other woman a hard time, but she wasn't sure how else to react.

Carmilla ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

“What do you want me to say? I asked to buy you breakfast because you're pretty and I wanted some company.”

Laura blinked a few times.

“Wait, is this like a date?”

“No. It's just breakfast. Will you relax?”

The door to the diner swung open and sent a burst of cold air through the room. Laura had taken her coat off at the table and shivered when the cold hit her.

“Excuse me,” the newcomer, a young woman, said, walking over to talk to LaFontaine at the bar. “I'm trying to find the police station and my car blew a tire.”

“It's right down the street from here, I can call the garage for you and you can walk down.”

“Thank you,” the woman said. “I need to find Chief of Police Lawrence. I'm here for...” Her voice cracked. “My friend, she was… She's dead.”

Laura got up out of the booth, ignoring Carmilla for the moment.

“You're a friend of Natalie Farmer?” she asked the woman.

The woman turned to face her.

“I...yes. I'm Cindy Jenkins. Natalie was my best friend.”

Laura glanced at LaFontaine and then said, “I can take you to the station. My car's outside.”

LaFontaine groaned and then looked guilty when Cindy looked at her in confusion.

“Yeah, take her over Laura, but get back before Perry has a fit.”

“I'll tag along if it's alright.” Carmilla had gotten out of the booth behind her and was watching Cindy carefully.

Laura thought about arguing, but shrugged and let it go. Maybe Carmilla would let something slip.

“Let's go, then.” She turned back to Cindy. “I'm Laura Hollis, I live around here. I'll take you over to Danny, uh, Chief Lawrence.”

Cindy thanked her profusely and they all headed out to Laura's car. Carmilla climbed in the back seat, leaving Cindy to ride shotgun.

“Did you have a long trip to get here?” Laura asked, as she backed out of the lot. There was a lot of ice on the roads today so she took it nice and slow.

“I flew up from New York City last night. It wasn't that long a flight, but the drive to get to Silas took quite a while. I'm...I'm not used to driving in this much snow.”

“Yeah it takes some getting used to,” Laura agreed, inching out onto the road. “Listen, did Natalie tell you anything about who might have done this?”

Carmilla made a slight choking noise in the back seat which Laura ignored.

“I, uh, no, not exactly. She did say, uh, she said she'd seen someone she recognized, she sounded scared. Did you know her well?”

“Not really, no, but it's a small community here. The whole thing has everyone really shaken up.”

“We're so sorry for your loss,” Carmilla interjected, giving Natalie an awkward pat on the arm.

“Thank you,” Cindy said, sniffling.

Laura opened her mouth to ask another question but stopped when Carmilla jabbed her in the ribs.

“Ow! I'm trying to drive here. Knock it off!”

“Then stop talking and focus on the road,” Carmilla snapped back.

Cindy looked back and forth between them, clearly confused.

The police station was only a few blocks away so they were already there. Laura pulled into the lot and parked.

“Do you need me to come in with you?” Laura asked.

Cindy shook her head.

“No, I'll be fine. Thank you for the ride.”

Carmilla hopped out and opened the door for Cindy and then took her place in the passenger's seat.

“You have absolutely zero sense of tact, don't you?” Carmilla asked as they watched Cindy head into the building.

“What do you mean?”

“You started grilling a grieving friend of a murder victim. That's not exactly tactful.”

Laura shrugged. “I wanted to know if she knew anything.”

“And why do you care?”

Laura looked at Carmilla for a long moment.

“Put your seatbelt on,” she said finally.

She refused to be lectured by Carmilla. She could never understand why this was important to Laura.

They drove back in silence.

///////////////

“Someone she knew?” Danny asked, watching Cindy Jenkins from across her desk. “Did she say who it was or how she knew them? Why she was afraid?”

Cindy shook her head.

“No, only that...”

Cindy looked down at her hands where they were clasped, shaking, in her lap.

“Only that she was very afraid for her life.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://asleepinawell.tumblr.com/).


	4. Further Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla tags along while Laura runs some errands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you didn't think there was enough Hollstein so far, have an entire chapter of Hollstein.

 

Carmilla had taken to hanging out in the Anglerfish at the oddest times, and had moved from her favored booth to a spot at the bar where she could continuously harass Laura for her entire shift. It was barely past noon the day after Natalie's friend had arrived and Carmilla had been sitting at the bar drinking gin on the rocks for about an hour. Laura was basically ready to toss her out into the street on her ass.

“Seriously, who starts drinking gin at eleven am?” she asked, yet again.

Carmilla smirked as she had every previous time Laura had asked and took a smug sip of her beverage.

“Laura, don't bother the customers,” Perry scolded as she breezed past on her way into the kitchen.

Carmilla smirked wider causing Laura to glare at her. Somehow Carmilla had figured out Perry was policing Laura's behavior and boy was she ever enjoying it.

“Why are you always so eager to question my life choices, cupcake?” Carmilla asked running a finger around the rim of her glass.

“Maybe because your life choices suck.” Well, Perry was in the kitchen and probably couldn't hear so why not.

Carmilla held a hand to her heart. “Wow. Ouch. You wound me.” The habitual sarcasm was back in her voice.

“Unsafe driving, not dressing correctly for the climate, _drinking in the middle of the day_ ,” Laura listed off. “You're a disaster waiting to happen.”

Carmilla's face went blank for a moment and Laura worried she might have gone too far, but then Carmilla chuckled and took another sip of her drink.

“Well, you're not wrong about the disaster part.”

Laura wondered what she meant by that, but didn't get a chance to ask before Perry emerged from the kitchen.

“Laura, remember that you need to deliver the meals for seniors soon. JP has almost everything ready to go.”

Laura bit back a groan. While she appreciated the sentiment of delivering hot meals to the senior citizens of Silas during the winter months, she didn't enjoy it one bit. It meant spending hours out in the cold driving around on icy roads with no one to talk to.

“What's meals for seniors?” Carmilla asked not sounding particularly interested.

“It's a service we offer the senior citizens of Silas,” Perry explained eagerly. “We deliver hot meals to them so they don't have to come out on cold icy days.”

“By 'we' she means 'me'.” Laura grumbled. Perry narrowed her eyes and Laura let out a defeated sigh.

“So you drive all over town like a pizza delivery service?” Carmilla asked.

“Something like that.”

Perry looked back and forth between both of them in disapproval but couldn't quite bring herself to chastise a customer.

“I could tag along and keep you company,” Carmilla offered, suddenly examining the contents of her glass very closely.

“Uh, why?” Okay, so that had come out a little more coldly than necessary, but seriously, what was Carmilla playing at?

“Because I'm bored and want to see more of the town,” Carmilla said, lazily. “And maybe you can give me some driving tips while we're out.”

Laura hesitated. It _would_ make things less boring to have some company along, but did she want to put up with this obnoxious woman for a couple hours? And what if she was the murderer? Maybe this was all Carmilla's plan to kill her!

...which was why she was asking to tag along in front of a witness. So, maybe not that then.

“It's going to be really boring,” Laura warned her. “All I do is drive around and ring doorbells.”

Carmilla shrugged. “I've got nothing else to do today.”

“Okay, then, I guess.”

Perry had been watching this exchange with her hands on her hips, lips pressed into a straight line.

“Laura, dear, can I speak with you in the kitchen for a moment?” Perry asked with a sweetness in her tone that made Laura's blood run cold.

“Sure, Perry.” Laura followed her into the kitchen with some trepidation.

As soon as the door swung shut behind them, Perry rounded on Laura and gripped her by the shoulders.

“Laura, you _cannot_ bring your girlfriend along for senior deliveries. This is your job, not a date!” Perry hissed at her.

“Whoa, wait, Laura's got a date?” LaFontaine's head popped up from across the kitchen, and Laura wondered at their unnaturally good hearing. Behind them she could see JP pretending not to listen in.

“LaFontaine! That is not the point here!”

“Laura hasn't had a date in years though, she's basically an old maid before her time,” LaFontaine said, coming around the counter towards them. “Uh, no offense meant, Laura,” they added seeing Larua's murderous glare.

“She is _so_ not my girlfriend, or date, or...or _anything_ ,” Laura snapped. “Ugh! I'll tell her she can't go. I don't even care!”

“Wait, wait, no way,” LaFontaine said, leveling a serious look at Laura and Perry. “Perr, you cannot let Laura wiggle out of this.”

Perry threw up her hands in defeat.

“Fine! But if there's any complaints its on your head.” She swept away towards the back of the kitchen. LaFontaine watched her go and then turned to give Laura a thumbs up accompanied by a knowing leer.

“Alriiiight, Hollis. Gettin' some action.”

“Oh my god,” Laura groaned. She turned her back on them and went back out into the diner.

“Everything okay, sunshine?” Carmilla asked from the bar.

“Terrific,” Laura snapped. “Stop almost getting me fired.”

Carmilla grinned and looked anything but remorseful.

“Hey, I only asked. You're the one who said it was okay.”

“Ugh.”

“You're cute when you sulk.”

Laura froze halfway to the cash register. Was Carmilla…? No way. Not seriously, anyway.

“I still don't understand why you'd want to sit in a car with me all day,” Laura said, choosing to ignore Carmilla's last statement.

“Because,” said Carmilla, stretching her arms above her head. “there is literally _nothing_ to do in this boring frozen wasteland and annoying you is mildly less dull than staring at a wall.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Carmilla threw back the rest of her drink.

“Anytime, cutie.”

//////////////

“Feet off the dashboard.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes, let out a deep sigh, and dropped her feet back to the floor of the passenger's seat. She knew she had to earn Laura's trust if she wanted access to Jack Hollis, but she was starting to think it wasn't worth it.

“Did living here freeze all the fun out of you, cupcake?”

“No, but your presence sucks all the fun out of life.”

Carmilla shook her head with a mocking smile. What was wrong with this girl?

“You don't ever let up, do you? Would it kill you to say something pleasant?”

“Would it kill you to stop talking down to and criticizing me?”

Carmilla found she didn't have a good comeback to that. Silence stretched awkwardly as Laura weaved the car through the snow-covered streets of Silas. She pulled into the driveway of a small house and Carmilla waited in the car as Laura took a carton of food up to the door.

She needed to rethink her approach, clearly. Laura was so prickly that she stood no chance of getting close to her this way. It was like everything Carmilla said put Laura more on edge.

“You used to like a challenge,” she muttered to herself, watching Laura chat with the man who'd answered the door. So what did Laura actually like besides adherence to safe driving policies? Carmilla thought back about the small amounts of information there'd been on her in Jack Hollis's file. Maybe there was something in there she could use.

Laura climbed back in the car and shut the door, shivering. She held her gloved hands up in front of the heat pouring out of the air vents.

“Here, let me help,” Carmilla said, sitting up from her slouch and reaching for Laura's hands.

“What're you going to do?” Laura asked, eyes narrowed.

Carmilla huffed in annoyance and grabbed Laura's hands.

“Nothing dire, calm down.”

She pulled Laura's gloves off, which Laura grudgingly allowed to happen, and then rubbed her hands back and forth over Laura's to generate friction. Laura watched their hands, her expression fading from a scowl to a puzzled frown. After a minute or so Carmilla stopped.

“There. Better?”

Laura withdrew her hands, staring at them like she'd never seen them before.

“Yeah, thanks,” she muttered, her cheeks a bit too flushed for it to have only been from the cold. She slid her gloves back on and buckled her seatbelt.

“Only one more delivery,” she said as she pulled the car back out onto the street. “Someone you know this time.”

“Oh, really?” Carmilla asked. She realized she'd been staring at Laura's face and looked away before Laura caught her at it.

“Yeah, that cranky old bat you got lunch with the other day, Valerie Barnes.”

Carmilla shifted, uncomfortably.

“Why can't we skip her? Throw out the food or tell Perry no one answered the door?”

Laura snorted.

“I mean, it's tempting, but she did pay for this food. It wouldn't be fair to not give her something she paid for.”

Carmilla chewed on her lip but stayed silent for the drive there. Laura parked the car in the driveway and got the last food container out of the backseat. Carmilla watched her carefully pick her way up the icy front walk to the front door and ring the bell.

Laura stood on the front doorstep, shifting back and forth from foot to foot to stay warm. No one came to the door. Carmilla frowned and drummed her fingers on her leg. After a few minutes Laura got sick of waiting and tried the door, which swung open at her touch. She disappeared into the house. Carmilla's frown deepened. She leaned across and pulled the keys out of the ignition, crammed them in her pocket, and begrudgingly opened the door, almost gasping when the cold hit her. She climbed out and followed after Laura.

“Laura?” she called when she reached the front door. No one answered. Carmilla peered in but didn't see her. She walked in and down the hallway, tracking snow across the floor.

At the end of the hall was a large sitting room which was where she found Laura. The food container had fallen from her hands, its contents spilled across the floor. Laura was frozen staring at…. Oh.

“Hey,” Carmilla said, softly.

The other woman didn't even seem to hear her. Carmilla moved into the room and gently put her hand on Laura's arm. She didn't react at all.

“Hey,” Carmilla said again, shaking her arm slightly. Still no reaction.

Carmilla moved around to stand in front of her, blocking Laura's view of the rest of the room.

“Hey, Laura, come on,” Carmilla said. Laura looked up at her, eyes wide and shocked.

“Carmilla.” Her voice sounded confused.

“We need to go outside now, Laura. Okay?” She wasn't sure what to do for someone who was potentially in shock, but getting Laura out of that room seemed like the best option.

“Uh, okay.”

Laura seemed dazed, unfocused, but she allowed Carmilla to lead her from the room into the hallway. Once they were out in the hall Laura stopped following her and tried to turn back.

“Laura, we really need to go outside now. We're going to go sit in the car and I'm going to call the police, okay?”

“But…” Laura was still looking back over her shoulder. Carmilla reached up and grabbed her face with one hand, turning Laura back to face her.

“We're going outside right now. Okay?”

Laura nodded and followed her without resisting this time. Carmilla carefully led Laura back to the car, holding her arm tightly across the icy patches. Once she had Laura settled in the passenger's seat (because there was no way in hell she was going to let Laura drive anywhere right now) she took her phone out. Did 911 work here? Would it get her local authorities or some emergency service in a nearby larger town?

“Laura, do you have Chief Lawrence's number?” she asked leaning down to talk to the woman in the car.

“What?” Laura was staring straight ahead and didn't seem to have actually understood the question.

“Danny Lawrence. Do you have her number in your phone?”

Laura blinked a few times and pulled her phone out. She swiped around on it for a few seconds and then held the screen up to show Carmilla a number. Laura's hand holding the phone was shaking a little, Carmilla noticed. She quickly typed the number into her own phone and hit the call button.

Danny picked up on the third ring.

“This is Danny Lawrence, who is this?”

“This is Carmilla Karnstein. I need to report a murder.”

//////////////

Laura didn't say anything the entire twenty minutes it took for Danny and some of her officers to arrive. Carmilla had gotten in the driver's seat and turned the car back on, blasting the heat. When Danny had arrived she got out of the car and explained the situation to her as best she could. Danny and her team headed into the house and Danny returned alone a few minutes later to talk to her.

“Laura found her?” Danny asked, peering into the car in concern.

“Yeah,” said Carmilla, shifting to block Danny's view. She wasn't sure why, only that she felt Laura wouldn't want her friend to see her looking vulnerable.

“Is she...is she okay?” Danny asked. She looked really tired, Carmilla noticed. Well, she could hardly blame her.

“I think she's in shock.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. Dead bodies are never fun and that was a pretty, uh, gruesome thing to see in there.”

Carmilla shrugged.

“You don't look that bad, though,” Danny pointed out. There was an edge to her tone that Carmilla didn't much care for.

“I've seen worse.” She wished she could take it back as soon as she said it, but she was a little distracted.

“Oh really?” Danny looked openly suspicious now.

“Yeah. Years ago. Whatever. I'm going to get Laura out of here. She should be home right now.”

“I think I'd rather have one of my officers take her,” Danny said, crossing her arms.

“Look, I came here with her, and I'm going to drive her home now. Go take care of your police business and I'll take care of Laura.”

Danny looked like she was going to argue more so Carmilla turned her back on her and climbed back into the car, slamming the door behind her. Danny rapped on the window and Carmilla rolled it down with a sigh of annoyance.

“I may have more questions for you later, Karnstein.”

“Yeah, fine. You can ask me later. I'm not going to skip town or anything.”

“You'd better not.”

Carmilla rolled the window back up without responding. She turned her back on Danny to look at Laura.

“Cupcake, put your seatbelt on. You wouldn't want me to drive without your seatbelt being fastened, now would you?”

Laura stared at her blankly for a moment and then complied. Carmilla buckled herself in and put the car in reverse, backing out into the street.

“I'm going to take you home,” she said. “Tell me where I'm driving to.”

Laura pointed down the road and Carmilla drove in that direction, hoping Laura would prompt her when it was time to turn.

There was a heavy silence in the car while she drove and it weighed at her. She wish she knew something to say that wouldn't seem out of place.

“Take a left at the next intersection,” Laura said, her voice startling Carmilla.

“You got it.” Carmilla put on her turn signal. She suspected Laura would be a stickler for turn signals.

“I'm okay now,” Laura said, her voice soft. Carmilla glanced at her and she did look better, more like herself, though her face was still paler than it should be.

“Glad to hear it,” Carmilla said, hanging the left. “But it's okay if you're not. First dead body is always a bit of a shock.”

“That wasn't the first dead body I've seen,” Laura said, turning away from Carmilla to stare out the window.

“Oh.” She had no idea how to respond to that. This entire situation was so far outside her comfort zone she didn't know what to do next.

“Can you take me back to work?”

“I don't think that's a good idea, cupcake. You should go home, get some sleep. I'll tell your ginger overlords what happened.”

Laura sighed but didn't argue.

“Take the next right.”

Laura's directions led her to a large house on a big stretch of land on the very west edge of town. Carmilla drove up the long driveway and parked the car near the path leading up to the front door. She turned the engine off and got out and moved around the car to get Laura's door, but Laura was already out of the car by the time she got there.

“I told you, I'm okay now,” Laura said. She looked angry.

“Sorry.” Carmilla wasn't completely sure what she was apologizing for. Being polite?

At her apology, Laura's face fell.

“I'm sorry, Carmilla. I...thanks for driving me home.”

“Yeah, don't worry about it. Although...”

“Although what?”

“Uh, is there a taxi service I can call to get back to the diner? My car is still there.”

Laura looked surprised.

“Oh! I forgot about that. Uh, I can call Laf and see if they can come get you?”

Carmilla shook her head.

“I don't want to put anyone out. I can take a taxi if you give me the number for a local service.”

“Well, we don't have a local taxi service. It's Laf or...”

“Or?”

Laura looked flustered.

“Well, you could stay here for a few hours. I'm going back to work for the evening shift.” She held up a hand when Carmilla opened her mouth to argue. “No, you're not talking me out of it. I'm going to take a nap for a few hours and then I'm going back to work. No argument.”

Carmilla gave up.

“Yeah, I can stick around for a few hours if it's not a problem.” She pulled a busted paperback from her jacket pocket. “I've got some reading to catch up on anyway.”

Laura nodded, looking very tired all the sudden. She turned away and started up the front walk, Carmilla trailing behind.

The inside of Laura's house was very warm and smelled like fresh coffee.

“Laura?” a male voice called down the hall as the door shut behind them.

“Yeah, dad, it's me,” Laura called back as she pulled her shoes off.

“Wait here a second,” she said to Carmilla and headed down the hallway.

Carmilla pulled her shoes off and then unzipped her jacket and stood awkwardly in the hall. She could hear voices speaking but couldn't make out what they were saying. A few minutes later Laura returned followed by a large man with a pronounced limp that Carmilla recognized as Laura's dad.

“Jack Hollis,” the man said, holding out his hand to her. “Thank you for driving Laura home.”

“Carmilla Karnstein. And, uh, no problem.” She shook his hand. Something was kicking her in the back of her mind but she couldn't put her finger on it with Laura staring anxiously back and forth between them.

Laura grabbed her arm and pulled slightly on it.

“I'm going to go take a nap now, dad,” Laura said. “And then Carmilla and I are going back to the Anglerfish when I wake up.”

Her father looked like he was going to argue, but stopped when he saw the stubborn expression on her face.

“Sure thing. Carmilla you're welcome to hang out with me in the living room if you want.”

“Uh, whatever's easiest.” This whole situation was bizarre to her. This whole _day_ had been bizarre.

“She can read in my room,” Laura said and pulled Carmilla down the hall after her without waiting for a response. Carmilla looked back at Jack Hollis who shrugged helplessly. Some help he was.

Laura led her up the stairs and into a small room near the end of the upstairs hallway. The room looked like it belonged to someone much younger than Laura; Carmilla felt deeply out of place. Laura seemed to be aware of her train of thought because she looked slightly embarrassed.

“Yeah, I never really redecorated after I got back from college. Didn't think I'd be staying here this long, I guess.”

“It's a nice room,” Carmilla said, warily. She wasn't sure what would set Laura off right now.

“You can take the chair,” Laura said, pointing out the deep basket chair by the window. “I'm going to get changed and lie down for a little bit.”

Carmilla nodded, walked over, and dropped into the chair. She opened her book up and pretended to read while watching Laura bustle around, gathering a change of clothes and then slipping out of the room. When she returned she was wearing flannel pajamas, her hair down from its ponytail and messy around her shoulders. She gave Carmilla a tired half-smile and crawled into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin and shutting her eyes.

Carmilla pretended to read until she was sure Laura was asleep and then dropped the book in her lap. She hadn't remembered until that moment that she was now somehow in the same house as the elusive Jack Hollis. She frowned, thinking about that and wondering why Laura had wanted her here rather than downstairs, and then spent the next two hours continuing to frown to herself, lost in thought while she watched Laura breathing slow and evenly.

////////////

Laura woke up to her phone alarm blaring in her darkened room and was immediately confused. Why was she waking up when it was dark out? Wasn't it a week day? The earlier events of the day slowly came trickling back to her as she reached out and dismissed her phone alarm. She'd driven to Valerie Barnes house, and then….. And after that Carmilla had driven her back here, which meant….

She sat up and switched on the lamp on her nightstand. Carmilla was curled up in the chair by her window, blinking in the sudden light.

“Did you sit here in the dark this whole time?” Laura asked. Seriously, she could have gone downstairs or something.

“Uh, yeah, I think I fell asleep for a little bit,” Carmilla said, stretching.

“Oh, okay.”

Laura wasn't sure what else to say so she climbed out of bed and started picking out an outfit for her evening shift.

“Well, thanks, for, uh, driving me home. And staying.” It was easier to talk when she had her back turned to Carmilla.

“No problem, cupcake.”

She wasn't calling her 'Laura' anymore and Laura was a bit sad about that. She shook her head. Why should she care?

“I'll be right back and then we can leave,” Laura said, to distract herself from her random thoughts. She slid out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom where she quickly got ready to go. She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed her face looked paler than usual, dark circles under her eyes. The scene she'd walked in on earlier came swimming to the front of her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't going to think about that right now. Right now she had to get to work.

When she got back to her room she found Carmilla standing up and examining her bookshelf. She tried not to feel self-conscious about that.

“Ready to go?” she asked and Carmilla glanced back over one shoulder at her.

“Yeah.”

Her father waved at them from where he was sitting under a blanket in the living room and she waved back while hustling Carmilla towards the front door. She couldn't explain why, but the idea of Carmilla and her father having a real conversation made her kind of uneasy.

She fished around in the hall closet and started pulling on all her winter layers. Carmilla merely zipped up her ridiculous leather jacket and jammed her hands in her pockets. Laura sighed.

“Here,” she said, thrusting an oversized down coat at Carmilla. “This is one of my extra coats. You're going to freeze to death one day if you don't start taking winter here seriously. It's only going to get colder.”

Carmilla looked at the coat with raised eyebrows, making no motion to take it.

“It's not really my style, creampuff.”

“Like you wouldn't look good in anything you wore,” Laura grumbled, and then froze realizing what she'd said.

Carmilla snickered at her expression.

“Why thank you,” she said, sweetly. It was quite evident from her tone how much she was enjoying Laura's discomfort. She did reach out and take the coat, though.

“No, put it on over the jacket,” Laura said, when Carmilla started taking off her leather jacket. “That's why it's so big. You have to layer.”

“This is ridiculous,” Carmilla said, but did as she was told.

She did look good in it, which was plain unfair. Laura scowled and turned away to open the door.

“There are probably extra gloves in the pockets,” she called back as she slipped outside.

“I don't need gloves!”

“You really do, though.”

When they got in the car Laura noted that Carmilla was now wearing a pair of hot pink gloves which she was regarding with an expression of horror and disbelief.

“Being warm is not worth _this_ ,” Carmilla said, grumpily.

Laura was unable to hold back a giggle and Carmilla looked up at her and almost smiled. Laura turned away to start the car and tried to banish the slight thread of warmth she felt in her chest.

The drive to the Anglerfish only took about twenty minutes and they didn't talk much other than fighting over the radio channel. (“I don't like Nirvana!” “There is something deeply wrong with you, creampuff.”) Once Laura parked, Carmilla started heading back towards where she'd left her car.

“Hey, come in first,” Laura said. “Let me treat you to lunch. Or, dinner now I guess.”

“You don't have to do that,” Carmilla said, spinning her keyring around one finger. She'd stopped moving towards her car though, Laura noted.

“I don't have to, but I want to.”

“Why?”

Well, that was certainly a direct question. One that Laura had no good answer for. Rude.

“So that I don't have to feel guilty about owing you a favor, obviously,” she said, perhaps a little more harshly than she'd intended. It was just…. Well, she didn't like having to explain herself.

“Wow, you're really selling me on this,” Carmilla said. She shook her head slightly. “You know what? Fine. Buy me dinner and then you don't have to talk to me ever again. Deal?”

How had the mood soured so quickly? Laura kicked herself. Why was she so bad at dealing with people? It was like the bitterness inside of her overflowed and poisoned everything around her.

“I...yeah. Fine.” She turned and walked in, slightly relieved to hear Carmilla's footsteps following her. Maybe she still had time to fix this.

“Laura, what are you doing here?” LaFontaine asked when they entered. Her friend came around the counter to take her by the arm, face concerned. Laura shrugged their hand off. It wasn't as if she was hurt or sick. She didn't need to be babied.

“I'm here to work, obviously.” She brushed past them and headed around the counter, pulling off her coat and gloves.

“We didn't expect you back today after your dad called earlier. We were ready to cover for you. Are you sure you should be here?”

Laura rounded on them.

“Laf, I'm fine. Really. Stop treating me like a child.”

“Uh, okay. No offense meant. You can work your evening shift no problem. But what about her?” Laf jerked a thumb at where Carmilla was standing near the door scuffing the toe of one of her boots on the floor.

“I told her I'd buy her dinner. She...she drove me home earlier so I owe her. That's all.”

LaFontaine grinned in a way Laura did not care for.

“Suuuure, Laura. That's why she's wearing your jacket and gloves, too, right?”

How did they even recognize Laura's old winter coat? Honestly.

“I'll tell her to come sit at the bar so she can keep you company in-between orders,” Laf said.

“Laf, wait, no...” But LaFontaine had already walked away. Laura sighed and went to put her coat down behind the bar and get ready to work.

////////////

Laura was starting to wish she had stayed home after all. There were a ton of customers tonight and all of them seemed to want something custom and nothing was ever quite good enough for any of them. She was exhausted after only half an hour.

And then there was Carmilla, sitting and eating her burger and fries in sullen silence while LaFontaine looked back and forth between the two of them in a mix of anticipation and confusion.

“Are you two fighting?” they hissed in Laura's ear as she poured a soda refill.

“I don't know. I mean, we're not even really friends. Can we fight if we're not friends?” She swept away with the drink before LaFontaine could pry further.

On her way back from dropping off the drink she saw Danny come in the front door and quickly diverted to talk to her. Danny seemed surprised to see her and Laura braced herself for another round of over-concerned babying.

“Laura, why are you...”

“I'm _fine_ , Danny. Really. Leave it alone.”

Danny still looked anxious but let it go.

“Did you...” Laura glanced around and dropped her voice. “Did you find out what happened? To Valerie.”

Danny looked tired.

“You know I can't answer that yet, Laura. But the short answer is no.”

“But I found her! Shouldn't I get to know more?” This was unfair.

“It doesn't really work that way, Hollis.”

“Oh. Well. Are you here to get dinner?” Laura glanced around the crowded diner. “I can probably squeeze you in somewhere.” And then pump her for more information while she ate.

But Danny shook her head.

“No, I'm actually here to talk to Ms. Karnstein.” She motioned towards where Carmilla was sitting at the bar drawing patterns in her mayo with a fry.

“Carmilla? About what?”

“Laura. Let me do my job, okay?” Danny looked stern. Laura made a face at her and trudged back to the bar. Would it kill her friends to treat her like an adult for five minutes?

She ducked behind the bar and positioned herself near enough to Carmilla that she wouldn't miss any of the action.

“Ms. Karnstein?”

Carmilla spun around on her barstool and looked Danny up and down.

“Oh, joy. It's you.”

“I need to ask you a few questions about your whereabouts yesterday.”

Laura thought back to yesterday: Carmilla had left the diner sometime after they'd gotten back from the police station and she hadn't seen her again for the rest of the day. Laura had gone home after her shift and spent the evening cleaning and watching tv since her father had been out at a friend's poker game until somewhat late. She'd been pleased he'd actually gotten out of the house for once, even if it had been somewhat lonely by herself.

“Where were you yesterday between seven pm and midnight?”

“That's a pretty big time frame,” Carmilla drawled, eying Danny coolly. “Why do you want to know?”

“Answer the question.” Danny had her no-nonsense voice out.

“I assume you're trying to pin this latest murder on me.”

“You were seen having lunch with the victim and you were one of the first people on the scene.”

“None of which is conclusive of anything. You'll have to do better than that.”

“Conclusive, no. But it's enough to warrant a few questions. If you've got nothing to hide then answering the question shouldn't be a problem.”

Carmilla leaned back on the bar behind her and kicked one foot against the bar stool leg, carelessly.

“Let's see. I believe I was home for that entire time. Reading. Like a good law-abiding citizen.”

“Is there anyone who can confirm that?”

“No.”

“I can.” Laura wasn't sure why she said that. The words came out of her throat without her permission.

Danny looked up at her in surprise. Carmilla was also looking at her, face blank.

“I was, uh, hanging out at Carmilla's last night. Until late.”

Danny frowned, looking at both of them in disbelief.

“Nice, Hollis,” LaFontaine said, in an overly-loud stage whisper. Laura glared at them.

“Laura, are you… Dammit, hold on.” Danny pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned away from them to talk into it. Carmilla raised a questioning eyebrow at Laura, but she only shrugged and looked away. Why had she lied for her?

“I have to get back to the station immediately,” Danny said. “Kirsch...I don't know exactly what he did but apparently there's dogs all over the station? Or something. I swear I can't leave that place for two seconds.” She sighed. “Look, I need both of you to stop by the station tomorrow and give a statement. It's completely on a voluntary basis,” she continued, glaring at Carmilla. “But we'd consider it a gesture of good faith.”

“Sure, whatever,” Carmilla said, sounding resigned. Laura nodded.

“Fine, be there around 1pm. Actually, make it 2pm.” Danny waited for them both to agree and then turned and left, talking into her phone again. “Wait, so where did he find these dogs, anyway?”

“If I ask you why, are you going to bite my head off again?” Carmilla asked Laura softly enough that LaFontaine wouldn't overhear.

“I...I don't know why.” She really didn't.

“Well.” Carmilla fumbled around in the pocket of her leather jacket (she'd taken Laura's heavier coat off inside) and pulled out a pen. She grabbed a napkin off the bar and scribbled something on it and shoved it across the bar to Laura.

“What's this?” Laura asked, picking it up. An address was scribbled on it.

“It's my house. Be there at 11am.”

Laura looked at the napkin, perplexed.

“Why?”

“Because, cupcake, if you're going to lie and provide me with a false alibi then you should at least have visited the place you're claiming to have spent the evening.”

Carmilla grabbed one last fry and slid off the bar stool. She attempted to hand Laura her coat back across the counter but Laura waved her off.

“No, keep it for now.”

Carmilla shrugged and pulled it back on over her jacket.

“Whatever you say. I'll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Yeah, tomorrow,” Laura said, still looking thoughtfully at the napkin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Attempting to update every weekend.
> 
> Catch me on [tumblr](http://asleepinawell.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Also made a shitty map of the town that I included in the chapter post for this on tumblr [here](http://asleepinawell.tumblr.com/post/133241865213/cold-hearted-chapter-4-further-complications).


	5. Coffee, Ponds, and Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura shows up at Carmilla's house the next morning and they attempt to establish a cover story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have 5k more words of Hollstein acting like toddlers.
> 
> Note: When Laura mentions that it's about 10 degrees that's in Fahrenheit. For all you non-Americans who use sensible units of measurement for things that's about -12 Celsius.

 

Laura parked her car outside the address Carmilla had given her at 10:52 the next morning. She didn't rush to turn the engine off or head up to the house though. It was a decent sized house, set back a little from the road; if Laura remembered correctly it used to belong to an elderly couple back before she'd left for college. It was off by itself and had nothing but a large pond and the forest behind it so it'd probably cost Carmilla a pretty penny. How could she afford a fancy house like this and not have the common sense to put on a coat or get proper winter tires? Was she some sort of rich eccentric?

Laura drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. Why had she lied for Carmilla? She'd asked herself this over and over again the entire night. There had been no logical reason to do so. There also hadn't been any good reason for wanting Carmilla to sit in her room yesterday but that hadn't stopped her from dragging the woman there anyway. And then she'd turned around and been a dick to Carmilla when all she'd done was be nice and help Laura.

But Carmilla had seen her falling apart and she was the one person who hadn't treated Laura like a fragile child up until then and Laura had been _so mad_ that Carmilla was suddenly all patronizing and _nice_ which made no sense since she was also mad that the other woman had been so rude and obnoxious earlier.

Basically, she hated her.

And yet here she was.

She sighed and turned off the engine, pocketing the keys as she climbed out of the car. She tucked her thermos under her arm and jammed her gloved hands into her pockets. It was really cold this morning, probably not more than ten degrees at most. She hoped Carmilla had at least figured out how to turn on the heating in her house. She wouldn't put it past her to be sitting in there in her underwear with icicles forming in her hair. She chuckled to herself at the mental image as she picked her way up the (unshoveled) front walk.

She rang the doorbell, rapped on the door for good measure, and then bounced back and forth from foot to foot to stay warm as she waited for Carmilla to show up. No one came to the door. She rang the doorbell again, holding it down for longer than was strictly necessary (it was really cold out here!) and then pounded on the door for a solid minute.

“Yeah, yeah, shut up,” Laura head from inside the house. The door opened and Carmilla stood in the doorway wearing only an oversize shirt that hit her at mid-thigh and blinking sleepily.

“Holy shit it's cold outside,” Carmilla said, moving back from the door and curling her bare toes in the draft.

“Don't you at least own socks? Or, I don't know, _pants_?” Laura asked, following her inside and slamming the door behind her.

“Hey. Easy on the door,” Carmilla grumbled, wandering down the hall without looking back. Laura took the time to take off her coat, hat, gloves and boots which she left in a neat pile on the floor since there was nowhere obvious to put them and she doubted Carmilla even owned clothes hangers. She headed down the hall in the direction Carmilla had vanished. At least the house was warm. Overly warm. Suffocating almost. Who could live in a sauna like this?

She found Carmilla in the kitchen, which was full of empty take-out boxes from the Anglerfish and the local pizza place. The counters and appliances looked virtually untouched.

Carmilla was looking at the coffee maker as if it were an ancient artifact covered in hieroglyphics. There was an unopened bag of instant coffee next to her on the counter.

“You cannot seriously tell me you don't know how to make coffee,” Laura said, setting her thermos down on the counter.

Carmilla eyed the thermos. “Is that coffee? Dibs.”

“You can't call dibs on my coffee! Which is hot chocolate anyway. And _mine_.”

“Ugh. I need something with caffeine. Do you know how this thing works?” Carmilla jabbed at the coffee maker with a finger.

“First of all, instant coffee is disgusting. Second of all, how can you not know how to use a coffee maker? You're at least as old as I am! This is a life skill normal people acquire at some point.”

Carmilla leaned back against the counter, her long shirt getting pulled up a little by the counter-edge. Laura clenched her jaw.

“Look, cupcake, you can be mad about my ignorance after you make this thing go, okay? Otherwise I'm throwing you back out in the cold without your shoes.”

“How do you normally deal with this without help?” Laura asked, coming around the kitchen island to start making coffee.

“I sleep in to a decent time. Like two or three pm.”

“You didn't yesterday.” Carmilla had been at the Anglerfish a lot earlier than that.

“I had things to do.”

“Like drinking?”

Carmilla shrugged and remained silent while Laura got the coffee brewing. She muttered something about getting dressed and slipped out of the room. When she returned a little later, wearing jeans and a tshirt, Laura was searching the cabinets for any sort of glass or mug to pour coffee into. All the cabinets were empty and had probably never been used, though one had a screw loose in the hinge and hung weirdly when it opened.

“Do you not own any plates or glasses or silverware? Or anything?” Laura asked, outraged.

“Uh, not really. I mean I only moved in a little while ago.”

“And you didn't bring anything with you?”

“I didn't have anything to bring.” Carmilla opened the refrigerator and pulled out a mug with something still in it which she dumped down the sink. She quickly rinsed the mug out and handed it to Laura who wrinkled her nose at it. Couldn't she at least have used a sponge (which she didn't seem to have) or soap (nope, none of that here either) to clean it?

“Your mug has kittens on it,” Laura said, flatly. Somehow her brain wasn't processing this.

Carmilla snatched it back and elbowed Laura aside to pour the coffee herself.

“It was the only mug I had.”

“The only mug you had has adorable kittens playing with yarn on it.”

“Fuck off.”

Carmilla picked up the bottle of Jack Daniels which was the only thing she seemed to have populated her kitchen with herself (well, that and a nearly-empty bottle of gin) and poured a healthy amount into her coffee.

“Helps keep me warm,” she said in response to Laura's disbelieving look.

Carmilla drank her coffee black (except for the booze) and very hot which made Laura wince because how could Carmilla not have burned the entire inside of her mouth and throat from that? Also what sort of heathen didn't put a ton of milk and sugar in their coffee? And how often did she drink, anyway? It couldn't be healthy to drink that on an empty stomach. She sat on one of the bar stools next the kitchen island and drank from her thermos of hot chocolate.

After Carmilla was starting on her second cup of coffee and booze Laura decided that her ungracious host had to be awake enough now to be able to form coherent sentences.

“Okay, so I'm here at your house. Now what?”

Carmilla made a face around the rim of her kitten mug.

“You tell me. You're the one who supposedly spent the night here.”

Laura stiffened.

“I didn't spend the night. I hung out for a few hours.”

Carmilla put her mug down and raised her eyebrows at Laura.

“Hung out for a few hours?” she asked, making little air quotes. “We all know what that means. The less annoying of your two bosses certainly did, anyway.”

Laura could feel blood rushing to her face which only served to make her angrier.

“It's completely possible for two gay women to hang out with each other without having sex!” she said, crossly. Was Carmilla even gay? Maybe she hit on everything with a pulse.

Carmilla snickered. “Sure, whatever you say, creampuff.”

Laura groaned in annoyance and let her head hit the counter in front of her. If she had to continue looking at Carmilla's smug face she was going to strangle her.

“I got back here around five thirty last night,” Carmilla said after a moment. “When did you leave work?”

“Uh, around eight.”

“So if you came right over here you'd been here by eight twenty at the latest.” Carmilla's voice was much more serious now and Laura cautiously raised her head from the counter to face her.

“That still would have given you an hour and twenty minutes to kill old Ms. Barnes,” Laura said, watching Carmilla's face carefully.

“True. I'll take my chances that it happened after eight,” Carmilla said. “You can't have been two places at once,” she continued upon seeing Laura's doubtful look. “And I doubt anyone else in Silas is going to alibi me, which, why are you doing that again?”

Laura looked away from her, focusing on her thermos.

“I got here at eight twenty then. Do you have a tv?”

Carmilla waved a hand towards some other part of the house. “Yeah, in the living room. It's not plugged in, though. So, no snuggling on the couch while we watch romantic comedies.”

Laura briefly contemplated giving Silas its third murder of the month.

“As if anyone would ever want to get anywhere near you.” Not great as come-backs went but Carmilla's face twisted into a scowl for half a second before going blank which Laura decided meant she'd scored a hit.

“I don't really care for television,” Carmilla said, sipping her coffee.

“What did you actually do during that whole time then?”

Carmilla turned away to get more coffee from the rapidly emptying coffee pot.

“Exactly what I told the tall annoying cop: I was reading. In bed.”

“Aaaand you didn't pop out to the store for some coffee or booze or anything?” She was sure there was something Carmilla wasn't telling her, and only a little worried that the omitted information was Carmilla brutally murdering a little lady. She couldn't have, right? But why was she lying? If she was lying.

Carmilla turned back around and pressed her lips together. “No, Laura I didn't 'pop out' to get coffee or bludgeon that old bat. Any other crimes you want to not ask me about while you're at it?” She sounded mad.

Laura felt her blush coming back. “I didn't say that...”

“No, but that's what you wanted to ask, wasn't it?”

“No...” Yes.

Carmilla rolled her eyes.

“Whatever.”

Laura shifted uncomfortably on her stool and looked around the kitchen for something else they could talk about, or some potential thing that they could have done last night. Her eyes fell on the cabinet with the loose screw.

“Do you have a screwdriver?” she asked.

“Why, was someone stabbed with one recently?” Carmilla asked with an extra helping of sarcasm.

“Uh, what? No. I was going to say you could fix the hinge on your cabinet really easily if you had one.” She thought about Carmilla's inability to make coffee. “Or, you know, I could do it for you if you didn't know how.”

Carmilla looked even more insulted if that was possible.

“I know how to use a screwdriver, thanks.”

“Just offering.” Peace offering failed, apparently.

Carmilla let out a breath and some of her annoyance seemed to drain out with it.

“I don't have one that I know of though there's a shed out back I haven't look at yet. I guess there might be tools in there.”

Laura jumped up from the stool.

“Great! Let's go look in the shed. Maybe there's something back there we could have been working on. Like making a shelf or something.”

“Seriously?” Carmilla didn't move an inch.

“Come on,” Laura said, screwing the top of her thermos back on. “We're wasting a ton of time.”

Carmilla put her mug down and headed out the door of the kitchen towards the stairs.

“Fine, let me go grab my jacket so I don't die in this frozen hell you call home.”

Laura considered following her upstairs to snoop around the rest of the house, but settled for doing a quick inspection of the ground floor. The living room did in fact contain a tv screen that wasn't plugged into anything, the shelves below it empty of dvds, or cable boxes. There was a plain grey couch that looked like it was brand new and never used.

If Carmilla really did sit around and read in bed for fun then maybe Carmilla had never even sat on the couch, Laura figured. There was also a mostly empty room that might have been a study and a small bare pantry next to the kitchen. No where was there a single trace of anything that felt like Carmilla. It was sort of...lonely.

“You enjoying the self-guided tour?” Carmilla asked from behind Laura, making her jump.

“Uh, yeah. I was only...”

“Save it. I don't stash corpses on the ground floor, cupcake. That's what the hot tub in the master bathroom is for.”

“Wait, you have a hot tub?”

Carmilla smirked but didn't answer. “Shall we head out?”

Laura followed her back to the front door and started pulling her winter gear back on. Carmilla sighed and leaned against a wall.

“You could have been doing this while I was upstairs instead of playing junior detective, you know.”

“Are you seriously going outside in only a hoodie?” Laura asked, instead of responding to Carmilla's latest jab. The grey hoodie looked even less warm than her leather jacket had been.

Carmilla shrugged.

“We're only going to be outside for a few minutes, right?”

“Don't complain to me when you freeze.”

Carmilla pushed the door open as Laura laced up her boots and walked out without waiting. Laura followed her a moment later and found the other woman standing on her bottom step rubbing her arms with her bare hands.

“It is really fucking cold out here.”

“Didn't I say you couldn't complain about this like two seconds ago?” Seriously.

“I don't remember agreeing to that,” Carmilla said. She flashed her obnoxious smirk at Laura again and took off through the ankle-deep snow around the side of the house. Laura had no choice but to follow her while holding back a few nasty responses. Why had she gotten herself into this?

///////////

Carmilla wrinkled her nose at the snow she was wading through. She'd spent most of her life living in cities where all the snow was plowed by the time she woke up. This whole rustic winter thing was bullshit. How was snow in any way pretty or seasonally romantic? It was cold, heavy, and inconvenient. Some asshole had knocked on her door the other day and said something about how she needed to shovel the sidewalk in front of her property. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

She could hear Laura following her around the side of the house and resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. Why had Laura lied to her tall cop buddy for Carmilla? It didn't make any sense, but then, nothing about Laura Hollis made much sense. She was so caustic, abrasive, but then she did things like make Carmilla coffee and offer to fix her cabinet (or make her stay in her room while she slept because what had that been about?) and it was almost like there was a second Laura buried in there somewhere trying to get out.

Well, it was none of her business. She was going to tell Mattie not to bother with Jack Hollis so that she could be done dealing with his confusing daughter for good.

“Is that thing locked?” Laura asked.

Carmilla half-turned to see Laura gesturing at the little blue shed behind the house.

“Beats me. Never been in it.” Carmilla walked over and tested the door handle which turned stiffly under her hand. She shoved open the door with a little effort.

“Whoever cleaned your house up skipped this place,” Laura said, looking around the dusty shelves in the room.

“Apparently.” At least there weren't any dead bodies stashed in here. The way her luck had been going lately murder victim number three would fall out of a closet any moment now.

“Oh, a toolbox.” Laura went to rummage around in a filthy-looking toolbox that was on the small table in the room. She held up a screwdriver after only a few seconds. “Success.”

“Great, let's go back before I freeze to death.”

“You know,” Laura said, ignoring Carmilla's request. “We could totally clean this place up. That could have been something we were doing. I was helping you clean.”

“I hate cleaning.” It was such a waste of time and energy to spend cleaning things that would only need to be cleaned again in a few days.

“Noooooo, really?”

Carmilla thought about the mess of take-out boxes in her kitchen and shrugged.

“If we're going to do that I need a warmer coat.”

Laura looked at her incredulously.

“Are you kidding me? I told you that before we left the house.”

“Yeah but you look cute when you're pissed off.” When in doubt defuse the situation with light flirting. It certainly left Laura flustered.

“Ugh, fine. Go get a coat. I'll get started.”

Carmilla smiled to herself wondering how long she could delay inside before Laura got mad and came looking for her. She turned and headed back towards the house. She stopped a few paces outside of the shed and glanced back further behind it into her extensive backyard. Wasn't there a large pond in the yard? She knew there had been, but the surface had frozen and then it had snowed so it must be covered up now. She couldn't tell where it started anymore. She wandered over towards where she thought it was. How could an entire pond vanish under the snow like that? Nothing about this climate made sense to her.

She didn't have any warning when she found the edge of the pond. There was a sharp cracking noise, but she was already falling, sliding down and under with only time to let our a startled yelp as her leg hit the icy cold water.

The cold water closed over her head and holy hell she couldn't think about anything else except how cold it was and how every single cell in her body _hurt_ and burned. It felt like a million years went by but then suddenly there was pressure around her neck and she was coughing up water into the snow and everything hurt.

“Carm, are you okay?” Laura was pushing Carmilla's wet hair back with her gloved hands, her face pale.

“Jesus fucking christ that was cold.” Carmilla managed, her teeth chattering.

Laura sat back on her heels.

“How are you so terrible at...life?” She sounded relieved.

Carmilla half-laughed-half-coughed.

“A lifetime of practice, cupcake.”

“We need to get you back inside immediately.” Laura said, standing up and brushing herself off. “You're going to get hypothermia if you don't get out of those clothes right away. And maybe a warm bath?”

“I'm fine,” Carmilla said, but yeah, a warm bath and dry clothes sounded amazing right now. She let Laura drag her back towards her house.

///////////////

Laura paused when she reached the upper landing, Carmilla shuffling to a halt behind her.

“Uh, which room is yours?” she asked, glancing up and down the hall. All the doors were shut.

Carmilla pushed past her, rubbing her arms and shaking still, and moved down the hall to push open the first door on the right. Laura followed her into what had to be the master bedroom.

There was a large queen-sized bed up against one wall that held a stripped-bare mattress that looked brand new. In one corner on the floor was an air mattress with a nest of blankets on it surrounded by a plethora of discarded clothes, books, and papers. There was a single suitcase lying open on the floor with clothes tossed all around in it.

“Why don't you sleep on the bed?” Laura blurted out before she could stop herself. Why did Carmilla act like a stranger in her own house?

“Don't want to,” Carmilla said, between chattering teeth. She was fishing around in her suitcase for a change of clothes. She stood back up, holding her clothes at arms length to try and keep them dry. She frowned down at her own arms, mostly bare since she'd abandoned the soaked hoodie the second she came in the door. “What the fuck?”

Laura saw what she was upset about: her arms were covered with thin red marks that looked like a giant cat had clawed her or something.

“Ice particles in the water,” Laura said. She'd jumped in an ice pond before on a dare. “They're super shallow cuts though, they'll heal really quickly and won't leave any marks.”

“I didn't even feel that,” Carmilla said, still staring at her arms in disbelief.

“Go change before you die, please,” Laura said, trying to herd Carmilla towards the door without touching her. It was bad enough that her coat was soaked from pulling Carmilla out of the water.

Carmilla went out the door and down the hall to what Laura assumed was the bathroom. Laura glanced inside and froze. Carmilla hadn't been kidding before. The bathroom was enormous, bigger than the bedroom, and the majority of it was taken up by a jacuzzi tub that could easily fit four people in it.

“Are you coming in or going out, cupcake?” Carmilla asked, with an inappropriate leer.

Laura jumped back.

“Uh, going out. Enjoy your bath! I'll wait downstairs or something.”

“Actually, you'd better stay,” Carmilla said.

“Uh, what? Why?” Laura asked, backing away into the hallway.

Carmilla rolled her eyes.

“Look, I'll get undressed and put bubble bath in the tub to protect your virgin eyes. And if that's not good enough you can sit facing a wall. But we're running out of time and we still haven't finished nailing down our story, so you're going to have to stay.” She reached over her shoulders and peeled her wet shirt off. Laura took up an advanced study of her own feet. That woman had no sense of decency!

She stayed staring at her feet just outside the door and listened as Carmilla stripped down and ran the bath water. After the water turned off and the sound of someone getting into the water concluded Carmilla finally said, “Okay, you can look up now without going blind from the sight of naked flesh.”

“Well, sorry if staring at naked strangers isn't an every day experience for me,” Laura grumbled, embarrassed by the whole situation. Carmilla was lounging in the jacuzzi tub, up to her chin in bubbles. Laura sat along the far wall of the bathroom so she could only see Carmilla's face from that angle. Carmilla regarded her silently for a moment.

“I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Laura snorted because holy hell was that ever a lie. Carmilla smiled at that, a real smile for once.

“Well, okay, maybe a bit. But only in good fun. I'm sorry. Alright? But we do really need to nail our story down if there's a chance in hell of the police chief believing it.”

“I could go clean the shed out while you take a bath,” Laura offered. Being not in the same house as naked Carmilla sounded like a great idea.

“Sure, but that would only have taken us, what, one hour at the most if we really dragged our feet? And you were over here until, let's say eleven thirty. So we've got at least another two hours to account for.”

“Maybe we hung out and talked? Ate dinner?”

“Dinner could be another hour, maybe. I brought a pizza home last night. Plain cheese. You ate more than half and I was annoyed.”

“I did not!” Laura sat up straight in outrage and then remembered why she'd been slouching down and quickly slid back to her original position.

“Good. Us bickering about how much you ate is believable. Your friend Danny will buy that. But that's also why she won't buy that we 'hung out and talked' for an hour. Because one of us would be dead.”

Laura glared because, well, she wasn't wrong, but she was frustrating.

“So what did we do with this last hour of time we had?” Carmilla arched one eyebrow and grinned at Laura in a way that's meaning was all too clear.

“Um, no. Really not that.” Laura said, letting her disgust into her voice.

“Maybe we both were reading then,” Carmilla suggested. “You have a book you've read part of lately?”

“I don't read a lot,” Laura admitted, feeling sort of bad about that. She'd read a lot in college but since coming home she was always working or tired and mostly she only watched tv when she had free time.

“You don't read?” Carmilla made it sound like a crime. “Ugh, well, the story will still work, we're going to have to improvise is all. Go into my room and get the book off my pillow.”

“You're going to make me read a book now?” There wasn't enough time to read a whole book.

“Just do it.”

Laura hurried out of the bathroom, allowing herself a slight sigh of relief in the cooler air in the hall. She went back to the bedroom and picked up the hardcovered book there that had a silhouette of a giant cat on the cover. She flipped to the title page. 'The Jungle Book' by Rudyard Kipling. She'd seen the movie, of course, but she'd never read the book. It looked like a very old copy of the book, worn, but well taken care of.

She glanced around, noticing a trend. Clothes and papers were scattered every which way, but all the books were neatly stacked, slightly removed from the mess. She smiled at the idea of Carmilla carefully moving all her books far enough away from her mattress that she couldn't roll over and knock them over in the middle of the night. What a dork.

She caught herself and stopped smiling. This was Carmilla she was thinking about. Carmilla was an asshole. Why was she smiling? She shook herself and hurried back, holding the book carefully.

“Give it,” Carmilla said waving a hand for the book. She'd seemed to have dried her hands off on a towel while Laura was gone. Laura carefully handed the book over while keeping her eyes averted as much as possible. The bubble bath was pretty thick, but still.

“Now go sit back down.” Carmilla said.

“What're you going to do with the book?” Laura asked, curious, as she took her spot on the wall back. Carmilla was holding the book up well above the water and opening it to the first page.

“I'm going to read you the first chapter, oh uncultured one,” Carmilla said, dryly.

“You're going to read to me?” What was she, five?

“I'm not letting you get your dirty fingerprints all over my book, so yes. Now shut up and listen.”

///////////

Laura had just finished tidying up the last shelf in the shed when Carmilla popped her head in.

“This place looks a lot better,” she noted, glancing around.

“Yeah, no thanks to you.”

Carmilla had kicked Laura out of the bathroom after one chapter of the book so she could wash up and get changed. Laura had been out here cleaning ever since. And trying not to think.

Carmilla reading had been…odd. She had been really into it, her voice changing to do the various character's voices. It was almost like she were a different person completely when she read. Someone far more real, genuine. It had made Laura more uncomfortable than her stripping act earlier and that difference made her nervous.

“You've got things pretty under control here,” Carmilla said, “Guess I'll head back inside and get some more coffee.”

She was certainly back to normal now.

“The coffee will be cold by now,” Laura pointed out with a little satisfaction.

“I'll microwave it.”

“You are really disgusting, you know that?”

Carmilla grinned at her and gave a careless shrug.

“Try not to fall in any ponds on the way back!” Laura yelled after her.

Carmilla was at the kitchen counter drinking presumably warmed-up coffee out of her mug when Laura got back inside.

“We need to head over to the police station soon,” Laura told her, rubbing her hands together to warm them up.

Carmilla put her mug down and held out Laura's thermos to her.

“Your hot chocolate was cold chocolate so I warmed it back up in my mug. But I think I poured half of it down the drain trying to get it back in the thermos.”

There in fact were drying hot chocolate streaks down the side of the thermos.

“Uh, gee, thanks.”

“Hey, it's the thought that counts,” Carmilla said, crossly.

“The thermos is microwave safe, you know.”

“I didn't know. And I've melted one too many things in a microwave to take chances.”

“Somehow that doesn't shock me.”

Carmilla sighed. “There are some things I'm good at, you know.”

Laura crossed her arms. “Oh yeah, like what?” She immediately regretted asking, positive that Carmilla was going to answer with something suggestive or obscene.

Carmilla was strangely quiet though, frowning to herself.

“Nothing useful, I guess. Maybe you're right.”

“Well, my offer still stands for this,” Laura said, to break the awkward silence that followed. She held up the screwdriver she'd brought in and motioned towards the cabinet.

“Nah, I'll fix it later,” Carmilla said. “We need to head down to the station now.”

“Suit yourself.” Laura left the screwdriver on the counter and moved around the kitchen to the sink to attempt to wash the sticky chocolate off of her thermos.

“You got here at eight thirty. We ate pizza together in the kitchen. Then we cleaned up the shed for an hour and I was useless and complained the whole time. Then we both hung out in my room and read for awhile. Okay?” Carmilla was back to being all business again.

“Yeah,” Laura agreed, looking around for a towel to dry her thermos on. How did Carmilla not even have paper towels or napkins?

“Repeat it back to me, then.”

Laura looked at her, annoyed.

“Carmilla, I've got it. Really.”

Carmilla cocked her head to one side and regarded Laura.

“Earlier, when you pulled me out of the pond...”

“Yeah, _you're welcome_ for saving your life, by the way,” Laura said, realizing that Carmilla had never bothered to say thank you.

“Yeah, well done with that. But you called me 'Carm' instead of 'Carmilla'.”

Oh right, that had happened.

“Yeah, so? I was worried. It won't happen again, okay?”

Laura turned away so Carmilla couldn't see her face and headed for the kitchen door.

“Yeah. Good.” Carmilla said behind her. Laura thought her voice sounded a bit odd, but stopped herself from looking back. They'd go to the police station, give Danny the answers she wanted, and then this whole mess would be over. There'd be no more snarky comments, pond rescues, or reading times again. Yeah. Good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Do not title this chapter 'Carmilla gets wet'. Do not." - me to myself while posting.
> 
> True story, I jumped in an ice lake on top of a glacier once and the bit about looking mauled after is completely accurate. Our guide was like 'no one would dare jump in this lake it's only a degree above freezing or so' and being the contrary cuss that I am I of course jumped right in. I didn't even notice that I'd been savaged by ice particles until much later when I was changing. Totally worth it.
> 
> There'll be more plot development next chapter. Had to let Hollstein have some room to grow. Or stubbornly refuse to grow, as the case may be.
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://asleepinawell.tumblr.com/).


	6. Everyone Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura and Carmilla arrive at the police station for questioning. Theo is a dick. Laura opens up to Carmilla a tiny bit. Danny really needs to get some sleep already. Shady stuff happens. Oh, and it's snowing again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish it were snowing here. Enjoy.

 

“At least no one else was murdered overnight,” Danny said, rubbing her temples in a hopeless attempt to drive away the headache that had been her constant companion for the last week.

“That we know of,” Mel responded, slumping down in her chair. The hours had been rough for the whole team lately.

“Ugh, don't say that, you'll jinx us,” Betty groaned from where she was leaning her head on Danny's desk.

“If talking about murders is enough to make more occur than we are all in serious trouble,” Theo said from where he was leaning against the wall.

“I think we're already all in serious trouble,” Danny said, making a half-hearted effort to sort through the papers on her desk. “This is the second murder without a single concrete clue.”

“They weren't even polite enough to leave us with a murder weapon this time,” Mel agreed.

Danny considered the irony that the only time they all got along was in the face of overwhelming failure.

“We're sure it was the same killer, though, right?” Betty asked, head still down on the desk. “I mean, that's something?”

Theo snorted and Mel shook her head.

“The murders were similar enough in execution that it seems likely, but it doesn't get us closer to any sort of motive,” Danny explained. She appreciated Betty trying to be encouraging, but there really was no reason to be cheerful here.

“Let's go over the facts again,” Danny said, rubbing her eyes. She was going to need a new word for 'tired' because it wasn't cutting it anymore. Even 'exhausted' didn't seem strong enough. “We've got Natalie Farmer, killed in her home, no signs of forced entry. Murder weapon was a tire iron. No known enemies, all family and friends were out of state. She apparently did have some sort of stalker from her past she was afraid of whom she saw here, but we don't even know the gender of the person, let alone what they look like.”

Everyone else sort of nodded and stared into space as if they hadn't heard all this information a thousand times in the last few days.

“And then we have Valerie Barnes, who unlike Natalie had been living in Silas for forever. She was generally disliked for being a cranky trouble-maker, but I don't think anyone outright hated her to a murderous degree. Also murdered with a blunt instrument, probably another tire iron, no sign of forced entry, no witnesses, no suspects.”

“Maybe there's some nutjob with a fetish for killing women living alone?” Mel suggested.

“Natalie was twenty-eight. Valerie Barnes was...a lot older,” Betty pointed out. “There's got to be more connecting them than their gender and living situation.”

“As far as we can tell they never even met,” Danny said. Betty wasn't wrong, though. There had to be something they were missing here.

“Hey! Danny!” Kirsch burst into the office, the wide-swinging door almost taking Theo out.

“Danny? You mean Chief Lawrence, Deputy?” Mel asked.

Kirsch glanced back and forth between them, grinning nervously.

“Uh, yeah, Chief Danny. Uh, Lawrence. Danny Lawrence the Chief of us all,” he said, throwing her a salute.

Danny rolled her eyes. What had she ever done to deserve subordinates like this?

“What is it, Kirsch?”

“There are two hot...uh, ladies. Ladies who are totally hot but I didn't say that they were. They're waiting for you out there.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

Danny glanced up at the clock on her wall.

“Crap, today went really fast considering how little we got done.”

She stood up, straightening out her shirt and dusting herself off, attempting to look like she hadn't slept in the station again last night.

“Okay, we're going to stick them in separate rooms and get their statements. I'll talk to Laura, I don't think she'd lie to me. Theo and Mel, you two talk to Ms. Karnstein in the interrogation room.”

They'd had to dust out the so-called interrogation room this morning since it had been being used for storing old files.

“On it,” Mel said, stalking out of the room. Theo followed her with a pained expression on his face.

When Danny got into the main room of the station she was in time to see Carmilla and Laura exchange a tense look as Carmilla turned to follow Mel and Theo away. Laura looked after them as they departed, frowning to herself and then glanced over to see Danny. Her face broke into a half-smile that reminded Danny of earlier days when Laura hadn't frowned half so much as she did now.

“Hey Hollis, come on back to my office and we'll get this over with,” Danny called, waving her friend back.

Once Laura was settled in a chair in her office and Betty had been sent to find hot chocolate, Danny let herself sink back down into the office chair she was rapidly growing to hate.

“So, Laura,” Danny began, shifting around on her chair to try and find a slightly less uncomfortable position.

“I'm not sleeping with her!” Laura blurted out and then turned bright red and buried her face in her hands. “Oh god.”

“Uh, good to know?” Danny said, frozen in place. What had brought _that_ on? “Sooo, anyway, I need to hear about what you actually _did_ do on the night of the murder.”

Laura still had her head in her hands. Danny was starting to strongly suspect that Laura actually _was_ sleeping with Carmilla, which was all sorts of unfortunate since Carmilla was the only thing they had resembling a suspect and Laura hadn't dated anyone in years. If her first girlfriend in forever turned out to be a murderer who knew how long it would take for her to ever date again.

“Right,” Laura said, raising her head up and brushing her hair back. “Uh, I got off work and drove over to Carmilla's and we had pizza and I helped her clean out her shed and then she read to me.”

A long pause.

“Wait, I mean we both read. To ourselves. Separately. And not out loud.”

Laura was definitely lying about something, but Danny suspected it had a lot more to do with sex and a lot less to do with murders.

“What time did you leave work?” Stick to the basics, hope Laura would manage not to say something both of them would really regret hearing out loud.

“Around eight. Laf can confirm that. Thanks.” The last was to Betty as she handed Laura a mug of cocoa and then slipped back out of the office.

“And what time did you get to Ms. Karnstein's house?”

“Eight twenty.” Laura took a sip of her drink and then made some horrible faces that led Danny to assume she'd burned her tongue.

“And she was home at that time?”

Laura shifted a little in her chair, sinking her head further into the collar of her coat.

“Yes. She was home. We had pizza.”

Danny wondered if they'd even managed to eat or if they'd gotten straight into the hot and heavy. Imagining her childhood friend having sex was a bit upsetting, but Laura was acting so damn guilty.

“And what time would you say you left?”

“Eleven thirty. I got back home a little before midnight and my dad got back a little after that but I was already asleep.”

“And in all the time you were there...” She quickly did the math in her head. “Three hours. During those three hours did you or Ms. Karnstein leave at all?”

“No. We never left the house. Except to walk to the shed. But I was with her the whole time. Uh, by 'with her' I mean 'in the same room as her'.”

Danny was ready to be done with this interview.

“Laura, give me one minute, I'll be right back. Let Betty know if you need anything.”

She escaped from the office and shook her head sadly. Laura had never been the best at lying, but that had been sad. She headed across the station to the small storage/interrogation room and slid inside.

“And you honestly expect us to believe that?” Theo was asking, leaning on the table his face inches from Carmilla's. She didn't look very impressed and seemed to be restraining herself from knocking the table over and laying into him. Mel was watching Theo warily but not interfering.

“I don't care what you dimwits believe,” Carmilla said through gritted teeth. She smirked at Theo. “For some reason I can't bring myself to care about your opinion of me.” She glanced at Danny and away.

“There is no way someone like yourself has a young lady over to their house and only 'has pizza and reads some books',” Theo said, still very much in Carmilla's personal space. Danny's palms itched to throw him back into his seat and tell him to calm down. She understood what he was trying to do, but she didn't much care for it. Mel looked pretty revolted, too. And Carmilla didn't even look intimidated so Theo's alpha male display was being wasted.

“Someone like what?” Carmilla asked, narrowing her eyes and leaning forward herself. Theo backed up automatically and then frowned when he realized what he'd done.

“You present a certain picture of yourself,” Theo said, glaring back. “The leather jacket, the casual flirting, the way you hold yourself.”

“Oh really? And how do I hold myself, Lieutenant?”

Danny was openly frowning at Theo now, ready to jump in the moment this went too far.

“You sit casually, without any decency, flaunting yourself.”

“You mean I don't fit nicely in to your small-minded opinion of how a 'lady' in your presence should act,” Carmilla snapped, tilting her head to the side with a dangerous look in her eyes. Danny thought she looked like a wolf ready to go for the throat.

“Theo, can you step outside for a moment,” Danny interrupted.

Theo looked put out by the request, but backed off and stormed out the door.

“I'll be right back,” Danny said. “Mel, get her basic statement, times and whereabouts from that night. Nothing more.”

Mel nodded.

“What the hell was that about?” Danny hissed at Theo when she joined him in the hall.

“I was questioning the suspect. Do I need to explain to you how that works?” Theo snapped back, equally annoyed.

“First of all, that bordered on sexual harassment, which she could sue us for or would at the very least go a long way to making her testimony inadmissible.” Danny was quite aware that she had a few inches on Theo and used them to her advantage to loom over him, pushing into his personal space. Theo looked uncomfortable and backed up a step. “Second, you're an asshole.” Theo opened his mouth to respond but Danny didn't give him a chance. “And last, couldn't you tell that was the worst possible way to ever get information out of her? Not only did your little power games not impress her, but they made her less willing to tell you anything. So good job, moron.”

Theo's jaw was clenched and he was nearly vibrating with repressed rage, but he held it in.

“Is that all, Chief?”

“Yeah, go home early for the day. Chill the fuck out and come back tomorrow ready to work.”

She didn't wait around to see Theo's dramatic exit from the station but instead re-entered the interrogation room immediately.

“...and then she left around eleven thirty,” Carmilla was saying.

“And neither of you left the house during that time?”

Carmilla shrugged. “I mean we went into the shed behind the house for about an hour, but not off the property.”

“Why were you meeting with Valerie Barnes in the Anglerfish the other day?” Danny asked, her annoyance with Theo still evident in her tone. She knew she should have given herself a minute to calm down, but the exhaustion was apparently interfering with her ability to make good decisions.

“It was a business matter,” Carmilla replied. Her tone was cool, recovered from her earlier anger.

“What sort of business?”

“The type that was between private citizens and none of yours.”

That seemed to be her final word on the matter.

“If there is even a tiny shred of evidence that you're involved in this it will become my business really quickly,” Danny said.

Carmilla rolled her eyes.

“Don't they teach manners to anyone in this dump? Ever since I got here all anyone wants to do is accuse me of crimes I didn't commit.”

“Are there crimes you did commit that we should be accusing you of?” Danny asked.

Carmilla snorted. “Are we done here?”

Danny opened the door and stepped aside.

“You're not under arrest so you're free to go whenever.”

“Brilliant.” Carmilla stood up, stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets and stalked out past Danny.

Danny watched from the hall as Carmilla met Laura in the main station room, and, after a few tersely exchanged words, they both left together.

“Do you think she's guilty, Chief?” Mel asked, coming to stand beside her.

“I think she's guilty as hell of something, but I'm not sure it's murder.” Danny sighed. “I wish we knew what that meeting had been about.”

“Hey, Danny, Chief Danny!” Kirsch was waving frantically at them from the small alcove that served as a break room. Danny sighed and went over to see what he wanted.

“What is it, Kirsch?”

“Uh, I was getting some coffee and the tv happened to be on so I was watching it while I waited for the coffee to brew and...”

“Get to the point?”

“Oh, yeah, uh, should he be saying all that?” Kirsch pointed to the tv.

Vordenberg was on the tv being interviewed by the news station from the nearest large town.

“And now we have a second dead body clearly killed by the same madman as the first, a poor little old lady with her head all bashed in. Such a horrible crime in this day and age, can you even imagine? Why in my day we would have had the perpetrator strung up by his heels in the middle of town already.” Vordenberg gestured dramatically.

“And you're saying that these murders are related to the Corvae corporation’s attempts to move into Silas?” the news reporter on screen asked.

“Well, there hadn't been any murders in decades before they came here and now suddenly we are in the middle of an epidemic!”

“I don't think two qualifies as an epidemic,” Mel commented from behind Danny.

“How did he know?” Danny asked, quietly.

“Huh?” Mel looked confused.

“We haven't released any details other than the name of the latest victim. How did he know how she was killed?” Danny's mind was spinning, going through all the possibilities from least to most absurd.

“Oh,” Mel said, catching on. “Well, shit.”

/////////////

“See, now you have to drive me back home when you could have gone straight to work or wherever,” Carmilla grumbled, sliding into the passenger seat of Laura's car. “Also, us arriving together in the same car seems a bit suspicious.”

“I wasn't going to let you drive after you had like a gallon of whiskey for breakfast,” Laura said, sticking her key in the ignition. She'd heard this whole argument already today.

“Please. That was nothing.”

“With the roads this icy it's even more important to have a clear head when driving.”

“Driving safety? Again? You're like a broken record, sweetheart.”

“Shut up.” Laura knew it shouldn't still bother her this much, but it did and there was no changing that.

Carmilla sighed and slouched in her seat. “How did your brutal interrogation go?”

Laura grimaced remembering how much she'd embarrassed herself in front of Danny. At least it had been for a good cause.

“Uhm, alright, I guess.”

“Didn't slip up and confess to everything, then?”

“Confess to what? I didn't do anything wrong!”

“Providing a false alibi. Lying the police. Pretty sure those are both frowned upon.”

“I didn't admit to anything like that. I only said what we agreed on. What about you?”

“Same.” Carmilla was frowning, though, like something was on her mind. Laura chose not to pursue it since such attempts seemed futile with Carmilla.

“I did find something out, though,” Laura said, unable to keep it to herself any longer. She was proud of her little journalistic adventuring.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, so Danny left me alone in her office with all her paperwork on the case spread out all over her desk and I miiiight have taken a peak at it.”

She heard Carmilla turn to stare at her.

“Didn't know you had it in you, creampuff.” Carmilla sounded impressed and Laura reminded herself that she shouldn't feel pleased about that. “And Chief Lawrence must really be burning the candle at both ends to have left someone she was questioning alone in a room with her files.”

Laura felt her face flushing. There was no way in hell she was going to tell Carmilla about the little act she'd put on to put Danny at ease. Who would ever think poor, flustered, babbling Laura, so embarrassed about her (imaginary) love life, would go routing through police files the minute she was left along? She still couldn't believe is had actually worked.

“Hush, you. So, anyway, I looked over her notes and they're pretty sure it's the same killer but they don't have any motive to link the two murders.”

“Is that all? I mean, I could have figured that much out myself.”

Laura was almost bouncing up and down in her seat in excitement. It had all seemed so clear when she was in Danny's office and she'd made the connection. This was what she was supposed to be doing, not waiting tables.

“No, but listen, there's something they missed.”

“Oh yeah?” Carmilla sounded like she was trying to feign boredom but Laura could hear the thread of interest in her voice.

“When Natalie moved to town, Laf and Perry were talking about why would she ever choose to live in this town since it was so cold and remote.”

“A fair point.”

“Will you shut up and listen?”

Carmilla put her hands up. “Fine, I'm shutting up. Continue.”

“Laf also wondered why Natalie would choose to live so far at the outside of town in a house kind of off by itself. And Perry pointed out that the house was worth a lot because a huge amount of the land around and behind it belonged to the property. It's worth a fortune.”

“Someone killed her for her land? Could be. But how does that involve the old bat?”

Laura wanted to roll her eyes at Carmilla's ignorance but she guessed she was new in town and couldn't be blamed for not knowing.

“Valerie Barnes is, uh, was one of the largest land owners in the town. She owns a ton of the undeveloped land on the edge of town.”

“You think someone killed them to get their hands on their property?” Carmilla asked. “Not a bad theory, I suppose.”

“I don't know how Danny hasn't put the pieces together herself!” Laura said, still excited. Figuring it out before Danny had made her feel alive in a way she hadn't in years.

“Too close to the problem to see the bigger picture,” Carmilla mused. “Are you going to tell her?”

Laura shifted uneasily.

“Noooo. I don't think so. If I do she'll either not take me seriously or take what I say and then cut me out of anything she finds out based on it.”

“She's the police, cupcake. They don't generally share their findings with the general public.”

“I've known her since I was five.”

Carmilla didn't respond to that and seemed lost in her own thoughts.

“Do you think I could be right?” Laura asked, unable to let the silence stand.

“Anything is possible.”

“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.” Why didn't anyone ever take her seriously?

“I mean it's not a bad theory. But why are you so gung-ho to play junior detective in the first place?”

“I went to school for journalism.” She wished she could take it back as soon as she said it. This wasn't something she enjoyed talking about and she could already imagine Carmilla teasing her when she found out the full story.

“But you work in a diner now?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmmm.”

Laura waited for more probing questions, but they never came. The drive continued in silence for another minute or two. Snowflakes started falling again about halfway back.

“Holy Hogwarts. _More_ snow?”

“Holy Hogwarts, cupcake? Really?”

Laura felt herself blush.

“Uh, yeah. I used to be a big Harry Potter fan. I was sort of a nerd.”

“Used to be? What changed?”

Why was Carmilla curious about this and not about the journalism thing? Laura never knew what to expect from her.

“Well, when I got out of college I tried to leave it behind so people would take me seriously. Not that _that_ helped much.”

She could feel Carmilla's gaze on her again and quickly glanced at the other woman at a stop sign. Carmilla's expression was impossible to read.

“Did you think people wouldn't take you seriously because you liked Harry Potter?”

Laura shrugged.

“The thing is, the paper here, it's...well...it's a small team who runs it and they're all….” She made a face, trying to figure out how to phrase it politely. “They're all men in their early forties, straight men, married with kids, and only interested in super 'serious' and 'adult' things. I was young, female, and gay. Adding on nerdy and into things they might consider childish or stupid seemed like another strike against me. It's not that they weren't _nice_ or anything, but there was this lack of shared life experience that was hard to overcome.”

Carmilla didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue.

“And it wasn't only them. I had to come back for, uh, family reasons. My dad got hurt and he needs someone to help him out and he can't really afford a full-time nurse or anything so I had to come back to help him and when I did I left behind college, all my connections, everything so when I got back here everyone treated me like I was bereaved or something. Poor little Laura, had to give up all her hopes and dreams to come back and take care of her dad.”

She shook her head.

“They all treated me like I would break. Like I was a child who needed to be consoled and cared for. And I appreciated that they were concerned, but that wasn't what I wanted. What I _want_. So I gave up the things that people thought were childish, hoping that would make me seem like less of a child.”

“And did that work?” Carmilla asked.

“Not really. The paper didn't want me and everyone still treats me like some sort of helpless child. Guess I gave it up for nothing.”

“Fuck 'em”

Laura sat bolt upright.

“Excuse me?”

“I said fuck 'em. Living your life a certain way because you're worried about what others think of you is a sure way to end up miserable.”

“I don't know how to even begin to change that now,” Laura said.

“You can start with not acting like a sulking child all the time,” Carmilla said, humorlessly.

“Hey! I do not!” Okay, maybe she did, a bit. It still wasn't very polite of Carmilla to point it out like that.

“Whatever you say, buttercup. All I meant was acting the way everyone expects you to act instead of the way you want to act is only going to reinforce what they think of you.”

“And which way do you act?” Laura asked right back.

“Heh. A bit of column A a bit of column B, perhaps.”

“Who do you have that expects you to act a certain way?” Laura pulled into Carmilla's driveway and put the car in park.

“Oh, some people I know.” Another conversational dead-end. “Well, thanks for the ride. And the alibi.”

“And pulling you out of a frozen pond?”

“Yeah, that, too, I guess. Uh, have fun at work?” Carmilla seemed awkward suddenly.

“I don't have work today, it's my day off.”

“Oh, that's good. Have fun with whatever it is you do around this place for fun then.” She still hadn't made any move to open the door.

“I was going to go home and watch netflix. Really exciting life I ended up with, right?”

“Well, you could...” The end of whatever Carmilla said was lost in a series of mumbles Laura couldn't make out.

“Huh?”

“I said you're welcome to hang out here if you want.”

“You don't even have a tv, though.”

“Yeah, you're right, it was a dumb idea.” Carmilla reached to open the door.

Laura reached out a hand and laid it on her arm. Carmilla jumped slightly at her touch.

“You can always come hang out with me and my dad,” Laura suggested. “I know that probably sounds pretty boring to you, but I've got more to do at my house than you do here at least.”

“I've got plenty to read here,” Carmilla growled, sounded genuinely offended that Laura didn't consider reading a valid form of entertainment.

“Fine,” Laura said, removing her hand. “I was only offering.”

“Yeah, well, uh, thanks. For the ride and the alibi and all that.”

Carmilla fled from the car.

///////////

“I still can't believe we shut down for an entire day!” Perry had been vocally upset about this all morning.

“We were radically overdo for a complete scouring of the whole place,” LaFontaine said again. “We have to be able to pass the health department's inspection, you know.”

Perry kept the premises almost excruciatingly clean at all times, but grease and dirt still sneaked in around the edges and built up in places. Every once in a while they had to do a real cleaning day, and since they were open seven days a week that meant shutting down for a day. They couldn't really afford the loss of revenue, but they could afford to be shut down even less.

“Well, I need to go see, uh, _him_ about you know what,” Laf said, wincing slightly. It was a sore topic these days.

“Of course,” Perry responded, not looking up at her friend.

“Have a safe trip!” JP called after LaFontaine as they departed out the back door of the diner.

The remaining two occupants worked in uneasy silence for a little while, JP careful to stay out of Perry's way. They both looked up when they heard the front door open and shut.

“Oh, LaFontaine must have forgotten something,” Perry said, moving to look through the window on the kitchen door. She froze.

“JP?” she said, voice higher than usual.

“Yes, Miss. Perry?”

“Can you run down the block to the store and get some more bleach for me?”

“But I believe we have sufficient...”

“ _Now_ , JP.”

“O-of course, Miss. Perry.”

Perry stood with her back to JP, staring out into the main diner until he had put on his coat and slipped out the back door. Then she pushed the door to the main room open and walked out.

“We're shut,” she said, voice tight.

“That's why I'm here now, of course. We need to talk.”

“Okay, let's do that, then,” Perry said, motioning her guest to take a seat in one of the booths.

“We have a bit of a problem,” Matska Belmonde said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catch me on [tumblr]().
> 
> Updates every weekend as long as Real Life(TM) doesn't kick me in the teeth.


	7. Mixed Signals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny has like zero chill and is angry at everyone, Carmilla and Mattie throw shade at each other, Danny gets EVEN ANGRIER, Carmilla drops by the Hollis residence, and Laura takes matters into her own hands.

 

Danny Lawrence was ready to kill someone, or, even worse, fire them.

“The only people who knew about the crime scene details are the crime scene unit, the murderer, and the people sitting in this room,” she said, glaring around. Theo, Mel, Betty, and Kirsch were all examining various parts of the room or their own hands and not meeting her gaze.

“The crime scene unit kids have never met Vordenberg in their life, one of them didn't even know who he was somehow, and I doubt the murderer is texting the details of their crime to Vordenberg, so that leaves you lot.”

“What about the two who found the body? Laura Hollis and that ice-cold bitch we brought in.” Mel asked the question Danny had been hoping to avoid. She'd questioned both women earlier today and dragging them back here for this was probably police harassment. Also she couldn't even picture snarky Karnstein in any sort of pleasant exchange with Vordenberg. Oil and water.

“I haven't ruled them out, but there's a some good reasons to assume they weren't responsible for this.”

“Oh, really? You'd blame your own people over a complete stranger with a bad attitude?” Theo sounded disgusted.

“Actually, I don't think there's any way it could have been Ms. Karnstein,” Betty interrupted. Everyone turned to stare at her. “Chief Lawrence asked me to look into Carmilla Karnstein's background, dig around online. Apparently she works for Corvae, you know, the company Matska Belmonde is here representing. She's the daughter of their CEO.”

Everyone gaped at Betty, letting that sink in. She continued into the silence.

“We've all seen how Vordenberg and Belmode are at each other's throats all the time, it doesn't seem likely that Carmilla would be leaking information to him if he's a rival of the company.”

Danny shook her head, impressed.

“She could be working both sides of the table, you know, a traitor to her family,” Mel pointed out, but without much conviction.

“Mel is right that it doesn't exonerate her,” Danny agreed. “But it does make it all the more likely that she's not responsible.”

“And what about Laura?” Theo asked. “Maybe she traded the details for Vordenberg's support to get her a job at the paper. We all know she's been dying for that job for years now and he has a lot of pull with the local businesses.”

Danny took a deep breath and made herself not clench her hands into fists.

“Laura has been my friend since we were five and I can tell you that she would never do something like that.”

“That's some great police work there,” Theo said. He'd been letting the sarcasm resonate more freely in his tone ever since Danny had bawled him out for overstepping with Carmilla.

“Theo, shut the hell up. Laura didn't tell Vordenberg, Carmilla most likely didn't either. That leaves you four.”

“Oh! Ohhhhh!” Kirsch raised his hand in excitement.

“Yes, Kirsch?” Danny asked, dreading what was coming next.

“What if we, like, all shut our eyes except for the Chief and then the person who did it raises their hand? That way no one else would have to know!”

They all stared at Kirsch for a few seconds.

“Yeah, that's really not going to work, bro-for-brains,” Mel said, folding her arms across her chest and looking derisively at Kirsch.

It wouldn't, but Danny had been planning on giving the guilty party a chance to own up.

“It probably won't, but we're going to do it anyway,” Danny said, bracing herself for the round of eye-rolling that followed. “Consider this your one chance for leniency.”

“Yes!” Kirsch was bouncing in his seat, excited that his idea was really being used.

“Okay, now everyone shut your eyes and hand over your face, and Kirsch, no matter how excited you are don't raise your hand unless you're actually guilty.”

“Oh, right.” Kirsch sounded a little disappointed.

“Now if anyone wishes to confess, raise a hand.”

No hands were raised.

“Okay, all done,” Danny said. She wasn't surprised. She was about eighty percent sure someone had talked to Vordenberg, most likely Theo or Mel, but she didn't think there was any way in hell either of them would ever own up to it. She wondered what he'd offered in return; he was running for mayor next year so he'd potentially have a lot of pull in town.

“So, who did it?” Kirsch asked, on the edge of his seat.

“Did you miss the whole point of everyone closing their eyes?” Mel asked, disbelieving. “I mean, it was _your_ idea to begin with.”

“No one raised their hand,” Danny said, and Kirsch looked around the room, disappointed.

“I _will_ find out who did this, though,” Danny continued. “And when I do that person is not only fired, but will never work in law enforcement again if I have my way. Now everyone get out of my office.”

Theo and Mel both looked like they had more to say, but settled for glaring at each other in mutual distaste and leaving. Betty and Kirsch followed them out and Danny shut the door behind them. What Betty had revealed about Carmilla Karnstein was rattling around in her head. She was morally obligated to do something with this knowledge immediately.

She pulled her cellphone out and dialed Laura.

“Danny?”

“Hey, Laura, hope I didn't catch you at a bad time?”

“No, it's fine. I have the day off.” She sounded cheerful, something Danny missed seeing in her.

“Okay, I have to ask you something, and I don't want you to take it the wrong way.”

“Well, that sounds...ominous.”

“Did you know Carmilla Karnstein worked for the Corvae Corporation?”

There was dead silence on the other end.

“Corvae?” Laura asked at last. “Like, the company that's buying up all the local businesses and land?”

“Yeah, apparently she's the daughter of the CEO and works for them.”

“No, I didn't know that.” Laura sounded odd; it was bothering her more than Danny thought it would.

“Look, I know you two are, uh, close, but has she maybe said anything about why she's in town?”

“She said she was taking care of some family business.” Laura's voice was flat. “I guess she wasn't lying exactly.”

“Well, I'm not sure it matters, but I wanted you to know. There's a lot of resentment focused on Corvae in Silas and allying yourself with one of their representatives might come with some, uh, backlash.”

“Yeah, thanks, Danny.” Laura sounded distracted. “Corvae is all about buying up as much land in Silas as possible right?”

“Yeah, they seem to think that when the train line to the city is complete Silas will turn into a major commuter hub and boom overnight. They're trying to make sure that happens.” Danny tried not to think about what life was going to be like with the train tracks finished.

“So they'd be willing to go to any length to make sure they could get their hands on local properties then?”

“I don't know about _any_ length, but they're fairly eager.” Danny frowned at the phone. “Laura, what's on your mind?”

“Nothing. I, uh, I've gotta go, Danny. Thanks for filling me in on that. I owe you one.”

And she hung up.

“Goodbye to you, too,” Danny said to the dead line.

What had all that been about?

/////////

“Listen, Mattie, I'm only telling you this because I really believe it isn't worth our time.” Carmilla leaned forward, willing Mattie to believe her. Both women were sitting in the living room of Mattie's house.

“And I'm telling you that your mother isn't going to take your 'gut feeling' as a valid excuse for overlooking someone who owns a substantial amount of land.” Mattie swirled her glass by its stem, watching the wine inside circle around.

“It's only his house and the area around it. It's all residential zoned so it's not like she could knock it down and...”

“And what makes you think she isn't interested in residential development as well?”

Carmilla paused. In the past her mother had mostly profited off of renting out business space. Corvae had mainly focused on city properties, buying up blocks and constructing high-rise office buildings with exorbitant rent. The only time (other than this time) they had tried to move into a small town and buy up property things had ended up getting a bit...tense. And then Carmilla had taken a bit of an unannounced vacation and mother had ended up very annoyed at everyone involved.

Going into residential property made more sense, especially in Silas. If the town was really on the verge of turning into a commuter hub with the completion of the train tracks then there'd be a rush on housing here and Corvae could charge quite a bit for rent. Probably. She wasn't completely sure what governed the allowable amount for rent in this part of the country. Mother would surely know, though.

“Well, that explains why I've been talking to cranky old home-owners for the last two weeks,” Carmilla said with a sigh. It also meant Jack Hollis was still fair game.

“You didn't actually bother to read the briefing your mother gave you, did you?” Mattie asked. She sighed. “Still the stubborn little rebel. You know, your mother hoped you'd outgrown this whole...phase.”

“Well, disappointing her is my purpose in life.” At least she hadn't had to see her in quite some time.

“Be that as it may, you are still required to talk to Jack Hollis, see if he's interested in selling his land to us. Be persuasive.”

Carmilla lounged back onto the couch. What Laura had said earlier about the land being a motive for murder played back through her mind.

“What if I'm not persuasive enough?”

“Then we move on to the other candidates.”

“And what happens to Jack Hollis and his daughter after that?”

Mattie narrowed her eyes.

“What exactly are you implying, darling?”

“I know mother. Her methods can get a bit...Machiavellian sometimes.” Carmilla didn't think her mother was really into having someone bludgeon little old ladies for a plot of land, but mother could be petty. And there was potentially a good bit of money at stake.

“Even is what you're not-so-subtly implying were the case, why would it matter to you?” Mattie's face was unreadable behind her fixed smile.

“Matter? It doesn't _matter_...”

Mattie cut her off with a motion of her hand.

“So it has nothing to do with you trotting around at the heels of the Hollis girl for the last few days?”

Carmilla snorted.

“You were the one who told me to get closer to her. I was following orders.” It was a solid story, one which Carmilla fully intended to stick with even if it wasn't completely true. She couldn't even say what the lie in the story was, only that it felt like a lie when she said it out loud.

“If the fool girl is willing to provide you a false alibi, for murder no less, then getting in to the house to talk to her father for a few minutes should be no issue to you. Clearly your charms have an effect on at least one person in this dull little town.”

Carmilla wasn't completely sure Mattie had that right, but she let it go.

“I suppose it wouldn't hurt to talk to him again, I'd only like to confirm that I won't have a trail of corpses following me around. If everyone I talk to ends up dead even the local bumbling police force is bound to catch on.”

“Carmilla, darling, it sounds suspiciously like you're accusing me of murdering Natalie Farmer and the old lady.” There was an edge to Mattie's voice that Carmilla didn't care for. “If memory serves me correctly, you were the one trained and prepared to take care of the more unpleasant tasks.”

“I don't murder people.”

“What I'm saying is that one of us here is the one who gets sent out to take care of the dirty work, and that isn't me. And Natalie Farmer shows up dead the day you arrive in town? You can't blame a girl for jumping to obvious conclusions.”

Carmilla drummed her fingers on the arm-rest of the couch.

“Well, right back at you,” she said, finally.

They smiled at each other, sickly sweet.

“Well, I suppose I should get going then,” Carmilla said, standing up and stretching. “Places to be, pretty girls to lie to.”

“So she's pretty now, is she?”

Carmilla rolled her eyes and didn't dignify that with a response.

“Nice coat,” Mattie said as Carmilla slid Laura's winter coat on over her leather jacket.

“Yeah, well, it gets cold in this dump.”

“As long as you're not going native on me.”

Carmilla shuddered in mock horror.

“God, no. I can't wait to get back to somewhere warm.” She opened the front door and waved a hand to Mattie over her shoulder. “I'm going to go do my job so we can both get out of here.”

//////////////

“Now, Miss. Lawrence, please, let us be reasonable here,” Vordenberg said, thumping his cane on the floor of the station. “Even if someone had come to me with this information you are claiming that I obtained through unlawful means, it would hardly be my fault that they chose to divulge said information to me.”

Danny slammed her palm down onto the desk in front of her, which happened to be Kirsch's desk. Kirsch pushed his chair back and tried to inch away from the conflict.

“When you release information like that to the press and the general public you are undermining our investigation!” Danny had never been this angry in her entire life. “Now tell me who told you about Valerie Barnes' murder!”

Vordenberg shrank back a little, staring at her distastefully.

“I'm afraid I really have nothing to say to you, young lady. Also I would like to say that you should watch your tone when speaking to your elders.”

“I don't give a good damn if you're running for mayor next year or not,” Danny hissed at him. “Right now you're a citizen of Silas who is interfering with my investigation and if it happens again I will have you arrested for obstructing justice.”

Vordenberg drew himself up and placed a hand on his chest.

“My dear girl, the good people of Silas deserved the truth. That same good people who will not stand by and allow an innocent man to be harassed by false accusations.”

“Yeah, I'm sure there will be angry mobs outside clamoring for your freedom,” Danny said. She knew being sarcastic with Vordenberg was futile, but she'd had people lying to her since work started this morning and she was sick of it.

“Just...get out of here.” She waved her hand at the door and went back in her office without waiting to see if he'd actually left. Kirsch could deal with him. She fell down onto the collapsible cot she'd set up in there. Maybe if she slept for a few minutes everything would work itself out.

As she lay there trying to fall asleep, which should have been much easier considering how exhausted she felt, an idea came to her. There was someone whose advice she could probably use right about now, someone who'd always looked out for her. She pulled her cellphone out and paged through her contacts.

////////////

“Laura, stopping shaking your leg.”

Laura froze mid-shake, and smiled apologetically at her dad.

“Sorry.”

They were both sitting on the couch in front of the small tv in the living room finishing up their dinner and watching a rerun of some show Laura hadn't even caught the name of.

“You've been doing that on and off all evening, something on your mind?” her father asked.

“No.”

“Laura...”

“No, I mean, it's been a long week. Weeks. There's been so much going on and I can't stop thinking about it.” There, that was at least close to the truth.

“Is this about the murders, sweetheart?” her father asked, brow wrinkled in concern. “If what happened is still bothering you there's a really good counselor they used to send us to when I was on the force.”

Laura shook her head, impatiently. “No, I'm fine. Really. I can't stop thinking about who might have done it, though. Like, they're probably still in town walking around like nothing happened, acting _normal_ , and how is that right?”

“Well, it's not right, obviously,” her father said as if explaining to a child. Laura bit back a groan of frustration. Of course she knew it wasn't right, she wasn't asking for confirmation of that. She'd wanted him to commiserate with her feeling of uselessness in the face of this situation. She'd been there, seen poor Ms. Barnes dead in her own living room, and she hadn't been able to do anything. All she'd done so far was provide a false alibi to a woman who may or may not be mixed up in this whole mess.

And after her phone call with Danny earlier it was looking way more likely that Carmilla was tangled up in all this somehow. Which meant Laura was potentially in a lot of trouble.

But that was even more confusing. Because...well, because Carmilla was confusing. One moment she was all snark and guff and then the next she was reading books to Laura, and rubbing her hands in the car, and watching over her while she slept, and treating her like a semi-capable adult, and it was all very confusing! Clearly this was all Carmilla's fault for being _nice_ and unfairly attractive.

Oh god, had she really just thought that?

The phone in the kitchen went off and Laura jumped up to answer it, glad for a distraction.

“Hello?”

“Laura?”

“Hey Danny, why didn't you call my cell?”

“Uh, because I kind of called to talk to your dad.”

Well, that was new.

“Oh. Uh, let me get him.”

She walked back into the living room.

“Dad, Chief Lawrence is on the phone. For you?” She left it as a question in case he was willing to fill her in on why the Chief of police would be calling him.

“Danny?” he sounded puzzled as well which made her feel a little better.

She watched him limp into the kitchen to take the call and decided to hang out in the hallway to see what she could overhear.

“Hello? Lawrence?”

He was silent for a few minutes as Danny no doubt told him whatever it was she called about.

“That's a rough situation to be put in, but I think I might have a few ideas.”

What was a rough situation? Laura ground her teeth. He'd better spill the beans after he got off the phone.

There was a soft knock at the front door right then, quiet enough that she might not have heard it if she hadn't already been out in the hall.

Who in the world would show up at her door at this hour? Her mind immediately jumped to the most obvious answer: clearly it was the murderer. She ran back into the living room to grab an iron poker from next to the fireplace and scurried back to the front door. She held the poker in her right hand so that the door hid it when she opened it.

Carmilla was standing on her porch looking a bit sheepish and holding a white cardboard box.

“Hey,” she said. “I brought this.” The white box was thrust into Laura's arms. “To say thanks for before. You know. The stuff with the cops and all.”

Laura opened the lid of the box a crack to peer inside.

“You brought cake to say thanks for lying for you to the police?”

Carmilla smiled a little and for once it didn't look sarcastic.

“Well, I wasn't sure what the proper gift was to repay that level favor. It's chocolate if that helps.”

“I never turn down cake,” Laura said, forgetting for a minute that she was now pretty sure that Carmilla was involved in the murders in some way and that she was _really mad_ at her for a whole number of reasons. She pushed the door open more and motioned Carmilla inside.

“What were you planning to do with that?” Carmilla asked, raising her eyes at the fireplace poker Laura was still holding.

“Can never be too careful, you know,” Laura said, guiltily. “It's super late and anyone could be out there. Or anything. It could have been a bear.”

“Bears ring your doorbell a lot, do they?”

“Shut up, you know what I mean.”

“I can genuinely say that I have no clue what you mean.” Carmilla pulled off her coat (Laura's coat) and fixed the rolled sleeves on the red and black flannel she was wearing under it.

It looked really good on her. Like, really good.

Laura shook her head, reminding herself that Carmilla could still be a murderer. She wondered if maybe the cake was poisoned.

“Why are you glaring at me now?” Carmilla asked, exasperated. “I've been here less than a minute, what could I possibly have done?”

“You lied to me.”

A slightly-guilty look flashed across Carmilla's face, confirming Laura's suspicions.

“I lie a lot, cupcake, you're going to have to narrow down my supposed offense a bit.” She pulled her boots off and leaned against the wall of the hallway.

“You shouldn't be so proud of lying,” Laura grumbled. Shifting the weight of the cake box and the poker iron uncomfortably.

“I'm not proud, I'm honest.”

“Honest about lying?”

“Have to start being honest somewhere. Now what supposed lie is it that has little-miss-tightly-wound in a huff?”

“You work for Corvae!” Laura hissed, jabbing at the space between them with the poker. Carmilla eyed it warily.

“Uhm, creampuff, can you not stab me with that, please?”

Laura looked down at the poker and realized she'd been waving it threateningly.

“Oh, sorry.” She pulled it back. “But that doesn't change the fact that you work for Corvae!”

“I never said I didn't?”

“You said you were here on family business.”

“Yes, and my mother is the CEO of Corvae, so...not a lie. Honestly, at least accuse me of something I _actually_ lied about.”

“You never said you were involved with them, though!”

“You didn't ask.”

Laura glared at her and Carmilla's smirk was back.

“Listen, cupcake...”

“If Natalie and Ms. Barnes were really murdered for their land Corvae has the best motive.”

“Which means I must have killed them.” Carmilla sighed. “That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?”

“Say you didn't do it, then.” Laura tried to cross her arms only to be thwarted by the cake and the poker she was still holding. She settled for looking stern.

“I didn't do it,” Carmilla said. “Okay? Did not. Do it. Are we going to stand here all night?” She looked perturbed again.

“Laura, who was at the door?” Her father limped out into the hallway. “Oh, it's the young woman from the other day. Uh, Camera, was it?”

“Carmilla, dad.”

“Hi, Mr. Hollis.” Carmilla pushed off the wall to greet him.

“Please call me Jack. Being called Mr. Hollis makes me feel old.”

Laura rolled her eyes. Her father was so unbelievably socially awkward and why was Carmilla smiling and nodding like he'd said something profound?

“Of course, Jack. I hope you don't mind the late visit, Laura helped me clean out the old shed behind my house the other day so I brought a cake over to say thanks.”

Laura gaped at Carmilla; she didn't sound a bit like herself. Why was she rolling out the polite treatment for her dad? The sincere smile was good enough that it would have fooled Laura if she hadn't had to put up with Carmilla's normal behavior so much recently.

“A cake? Oh, is that from Ruth's bakery downtown? Ruth makes the best cakes in Silas.” He took the cake from Laura and headed back towards the kitchen with it, Carmilla in tow. Laura stared blankly after them, unsure as to what had just happened.

/////////////

Carmilla gave herself props for having picked out what was truly the best cake she'd ever eaten. Maybe there was something worthwhile in this small town after all. That thought made her glance at Laura for some reason (some reason that she wasn't going to think about or give any credence to thank you so much). Laura was still poking at her slice of cake suspiciously.

Did she think Carmilla had poisoned it or something?

She probably did think that. This was Laura after all.

“So, Jack,” Carmilla started. Had to get this over with sooner or later. “How long have you lived in this place?”

“In Silas or in this house? Both about thirty years now. We bought the property a few years before we had Laura.”

Carmilla had noticed the absence of Laura's mother like a hole in the middle of the happy home, but hadn't wanted to ask. She'd seen pictures on the mantel that had a woman who had to be Laura's mother in them. She guessed that if Laura's mother had run off or there'd been a messy divorce the pictures would have been taken down, which meant she was probably dead and Carmilla didn't want to touch that conversation with a ten foot pole.

“It's a really nice house. How much of the land around it belongs to the property?” Of course she already knew.

“Well, I don't own much into the woods since that's all protected wilderness, but it's a good amount. I don't remember the exact acreage off the top of my head.”

“Seems like a lot to maintain for only the two of you.” Testing the waters, carefully. Go to fast and she'd scare him off.

“Well it hasn't been as easy since my injury,” Jack agreed.

“Dad, stop,” Laura cut in. “Don't you see what she's trying to do?”

“Laura?” Jack Hollis looked at his daughter, confused.

“She works for Corvae, dad. She's asking about the house because she's going to try and make you sell your land to her company.” Laura was still staring at the cake on her plate, not making eye contact with either of them. Her hands were clenched into fists.

“You work for Corvae?” Jack asked Carmilla, studying her face carefully.

She swallowed. It was hard to lie with him looking at her like that. He must have been a great cop back in his day.

“Yes, I do.”

“And are you in fact interested in purchasing my land?”

“Personally, I'm not. But certain people in Corvae definitely are.” She knew it was passing the buck, but she didn't want this man to think poorly of her for some reason. Laura's quiet rage was bad enough.

Why did she care? She shouldn't care. She never had before.

“I see. And is that why you came by here tonight?” His tone gave away nothing.

“Uh, no. I genuinely came by to bring the cake over.” Okay, that was a total lie, but all this telling the truth was starting to make her palms itch.

“And in your _personal_ opinion, do you think I should sell my land to your company?”

Carmilla found she couldn't rip her eyes away from his even though she really wanted to glance at Laura and see how she was taking it.

“I honestly don't know.” It seemed the safest thing to say. Somewhere her mother had probably punched her fist through a wall in rage without knowing why.

Jack Hollis turned back to the cake on his plate and took a thoughtful bite.

“You know, you're not wrong, Carmilla. This place is pretty big and we're not even using half the rooms in the house anymore. Laura basically has the entire upstairs to herself since I avoid climbing the stairs.” Laura raised her head and looked like she was about to interject, but Jack continued. “However this place also has a lot of memories for us. Good and bad. Giving it up wouldn't be an easy thing to do.”

“I understand,” Carmilla replied. She didn't, really. She'd never had a place that she'd felt any real attachment to, but there was a certain appeal to the idea that she could see.

“That's not a yes and not a no. Let's leave it there for now and let me think about it, okay?” Jack said. “Have your people send me a formal offer, maybe. I'll at least look at it. That seems fair.”

Carmilla felt deeply uncomfortable. It was almost like embarrassment, but with more guilt. Shame, perhaps.

“Okay, I'll let my people know,” she said. She couldn't look at either of them anymore. “Uh, I should probably go now, though.”

“Yes, it's getting a bit late,” Jack Hollis agreed. And the light atmosphere from before had been shattered since Laura's outburst.

“I'll, uh, I'll walk you out,” Laura said, rising quickly.

“You don't have to do that.” Carmilla wanted to get away from this house as quickly as she could.

“Don't be ridiculous, you're our guest. Of course I'll see you out.”

“You'd better let her,” Jack offered. “She's a stubborn one.”

Carmilla gave up and made her way out into the hallway after a quick goodbye to Jack, Laura on her heels. Laura stood by silently as Carmilla pulled her boots and coat back on. She did not put the pink gloves on, there were some things that she couldn't deal with even in the name of staying warm.

She was surprised when Laura followed her out the door and down the path towards her car.

“Making sure I leave?” she asked, trying for a joking tone, but it came out a little bit bitter.

“I wanted to say something before you left.” Laura's face was twisted in a scowl and she looked cold since she'd only thrown on a light coat to follow Carmilla out. Carmilla would have normally jumped on this golden opportunity to mock Laura for being underdressed for the weather for once, but somehow it didn't seem like the time or place.

“Okay, who did I murder this time?”

“Stay away from my dad.” Laura was glaring at the ground, not looking at Carmilla at all.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Stay away from him. I don't want him getting mixed up in this whole mess with Corvae and...and...I don't even know if you're involved with the murders or Corvae is involved or what the difference is, and it doesn't matter for this. Leave him alone.”

Carmilla couldn't think of a single response.

“Okay, cupcake, you got it,” she said after a short silence. She could always get Mattie to send someone over with the offer. Or Mattie could come by herself. Carmilla wanted to be done with this whole mess, it was very unsettling for some reason. “I won't come anywhere near you or your dad again, and I'll try to keep my homicidal tendencies in check until I get out of town. Which hopefully will be...”

She was cut off when Laura shoved her backwards, her back slamming into the side of the car. And then Laura was kissing her with way too much enthusiasm for someone who had basically been threatening her only a few seconds ago. But somehow Laura's lips were on hers and her tongue was grazing Carmilla's lip, asking for more access, and well, Carmilla wasn't going to argue with that. Not when Laura's hands were tangled in her hair, pulling painfully hard as her hips pinned Carmilla to the side of her car.

And then just as quickly as it had started, it was over, Laura stepping away and glaring at her with rage still in her eyes.

“Uh, wow, cupcake, mixed signals much?” Carmilla managed to ask as she got her breath back. Holy shit, what had happened there? Not that she was complaining. She wondered if Laura would be okay with Carmilla kissing her now. From the look on her face, probably not so much.

“I hate you,” Laura said, in a small voice and turned away to walk back towards her house.

Carmilla watched her until she disappeared back in the door and then stayed leaning against her car, watching her breath mist in the cold air for a few more minutes.

Inside all she'd been able to think about was Mattie and Corvae and her mother and how she only wanted to be done with all of this and leave Silas. Now all she could think about was how she was going to stay in Silas long enough to get Laura to kiss her like that again.

Well, this was a new complication alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GJ Laura. Well done on that clear communication. 
> 
> Anyone waiting for that Perry cliffhanger to be explained, yeah, keep waiting. One day.
> 
> Updates every weekend.
> 
> [My tumblr](http://asleepinawell.tumblr.com/).


	8. Secret Missions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura asks Laf for advice, Jack Hollis does Danny a favor, Laura and Carmilla attempt to be sneaky, and everyone keeps giving Danny bad news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus early update. Enjoy.

 

“You look like hell, Hollis.”

“Sorry, Laf, didn't get a lot of sleep last night.” Laura yawned again, slumping on the chair behind the bar where she'd sat down to rest her feet. Why had her day off flown by so quickly?

LaFontaine leaned back against the bar and grinned down at her.

“Anything to do with a certain sarcastic lady who keeps showing up here and casting longing looks in your direction?”

“She doesn't do that,” Laura said, crossly. She chewed her lower lip. “Does she?”

“Uh, yeah, Laur, she basically stares at you non-stop whenever she's in here. I thought you two were a hot item now, hanging out at her house and all?”

Laura groaned and let her head fall back against the wall behind her.

“I don't know. She makes me so angry. And..and I don't even know if she _likes_ me. And she's involved with Corvae, did you know that? But then I went and...” Laura stopped herself. No need to bring _that_ up, even if she was really confused and could use some advice.

“You went and what?” LaFontaine asked, a knowing grin on their face.

“I told you she worked for Corvae and no reaction, but _this_ you hone in on like some eager bloodhound. Honestly, don't you have better things to worry about like...Perry or...” Laura waved her arm around, trying to think of more things. “...or, ugh, I don't know! Something that's not my business!”

“Hey, you brought it up, not me.”

LaFontaine glanced back over their shoulder to survey the nearly-empty diner. Lunch rush had ended for the day and most people were back at work.

“Well, fine then. So maybe I...maybe I might have kissed her out of nowhere. But that doesn't mean anything!”

“Wait, you spent the night at her house already and you only kissed her yesterday?” LaFontaine gave her a look of disbelief. “You're doing it wrong, Hollis.”

“I didn't spend the night at her house! Why does everyone assume that? Can't two gay women be friends and hang out without it being all sexual?”

“Okay, calm down. So why don't you tell me what _did_ happen then? And all this business about Corvae as well while you're at it.”

Laura thought about remaining petulantly silent, but Carmilla's words about not acting like a child came back to her.

“Okay, so Danny called me yesterday to tell me Carmilla works for Corvae, her mom is the CEO or something.”

“She's probably loaded then. Nice.”

“Are you quite done?” Laura glared.

“Sorry.” They didn't look sorry.

“And then she shows up at my house last night, with cake, and starts in asking my dad all about his property and basically being a silmey Corvae goon and she even admitted to it when I called her on it.”

“How'd your dad react?”

“Uh, surprisingly well. He agreed to look over an offer but said he wasn't sure he was interested.” She waved aside the small part of her mind that hoped her father would sell the house and they could move somewhere else. It felt disloyal somehow.

“Well, that doesn't sound too bad.”

“No, but it's...” She bit back her words. She couldn't tell Laf about her suspicions about Corvae being wrapped up in the murders. They might tell Danny. “It was unfair of her to get herself invited into the house under false pretenses.”

LaFontaine shrugged. “I guess I can see that.”

“And then I walked her out to her car and I told her to stay away from my dad. And then...” Laura felt her face turn red. Why was this so embarrassing? It wasn't like she hadn't kissed a girl before. She'd had a steady girlfriend for almost a year in college. But everything about Carmilla was complicated. Though for a moment there everything had been really simple, there'd only been Carmilla and her lips and the way she'd pushed back slightly against Laura, not really trying to get away, but making her presence known, and….

“Earth to Laura. You're staring into space.”

Laura blinked a few times and licked her lips.

“Uh, sorry, yeah. What was I talking about?”

“You and Carmilla went out to the car and I assume you kissed her from what you said earlier.” They smirked. “Must have been _really good_ from your expression there.”

“Yeah, well I yelled at her and then I sort of pushed her against the car and, well, yeah.”

LaFontaine's grin got even wider.

“You have the weirdest romantic gestures ever, Hollis.”

“And then I told her I hated her and I left.” Laura finished. “She said something about mixed signals, but I didn't really hear it.”

“Let me get this right, you basically rage-kissed her, told her you hated her, and then stormed off leaving her all hot and bothered in your driveway?”

Laura got up and paced around the area behind the bar.

“No! Yes. I don't know. It made sense at the time!”

“At least both of you are probably totally confused now.” LaFontaine tapped their chin thoughtfully. Laura stopped pacing and stood in front of them.

“Laf, what do I do?”

“Don't ask me. I'm not going to end up in the middle of your twisted courtship rituals. I intend to sit on the sidelines and watch. And laugh.”

Laura flopped back down onto her chair. They were no help. And here she didn't even know if Carmilla actually _liked_ her or not. Maybe she got kissed by girls all the time.

“Why do I bother telling you anything?”

LaFontaine chuckled. “Well, maybe try talking to her? Or, we could also try paying for an online background check. That might bring a few mysteries to light. Ohhh, or hire a PI.”

“Talk to her or spy on her? Those are my only options?”

“You could also awkwardly avoid her from now on, but that might be hard if she decides to come in for lunch.”

“Oh god, what am I supposed to say to her, Laf?” She buried her head in her hands. Why was she still asking LaFontaine for advice?

“Well, I don't know. Do you want to kiss her again?”

Laura peaked out at them from between two fingers.

“It's complicated.”

“That means yes.”

“No it doesn't!” She dropped her hands back to her lap and then frowned. “Does it?”

LaFontaine opened their mouth to reply but were cut off by Perry bursting through the kitchen door.

“LaFontaine! We need to talk. Now.”

LaFontaine grimaced and ran their hand through their hair nervously.

“What about, Perr?”

“Kitchen. Now.”

Perry disappeared back through the door. Laura shot LaFontaine a sympathetic look as they walked after her as if to their own doom. A moment later JP emerged from the kitchen and huddled down in a corner behind the bar. On the rare occasions he left the kitchen he always sat below the bar level to avoid interacting with the customers.

“What're they on about this time?” Laura asked.

“I really have no idea, Miss. Hollis,” JP said, looking around himself uncomfortably.

“They fight all the time now. It usually sounds like it's about money.” A grim thought occurred to Laura. “Did Corvae make them an offer?”

JP looked distraught by the very idea.

“Not to the best of my knowledge. Corvae seems like a lot of trouble, probably best to stay far away from them.”

“Yeah,” Laura said, thinking about Carmilla again. “Probably best.”

“Well he's within his rights to ask us to pay on time!” LaFontaine's voice came from in the kitchen.

“And you couldn't persuade him to give us even a little bit more time?” Perry's voice asked.

“No. I tried. If you don't believe me then you go next time!”

“Maybe I will!”

“Uh, hey, Laura.” A new voice from the other side of the bar pulled Laura's attention from the kitchen. She glanced back, annoyed that someone was making her miss out on eavesdropping, and then froze when she saw who it was.

“Oh, Carmilla.” Her voice came out in a squeak.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw JP scramble across the floor and back into the kitchen. He really disliked dealing with people.

“Yeah, hi. I was wondering if we could talk for a minute?”

“That's not the point!” Perry's voice exploded from the kitchen.

“Can you wait one second?” Laura asked, turning back towards the kitchen. She knew she needed to deal with this, but she really needed to find out what they were fighting about in there.

“You know what, nevermind, I'll come back later or something,” Carmilla said. Laura spun back around to see Carmilla turning to leave.

“No! Wait.”

Laura glanced back and forth between the kitchen door and Carmilla, torn. Perry chose that moment to exit the kitchen and glare at both of them.

“Laura. Shouldn't you be taking care of the customers?”

The only customer left was asleep at his table.

“And you. Laura's girlfriend. You can't hang out here unless you order something.”

They answered simultaneously:

“She's not my girlfriend!”

“I'm not her girlfriend.”

Perry sniffed. “Well, whatever you are, you have to order something if you're going to stay.”

“I can go,” Carmilla said, turning to leave again.

“I'm buying her lunch,” Laura quickly interjected. Carmilla turned back and raised an eyebrow at her. Laura shrugged. She didn't want to talk about it, but she also didn't want Carmilla to leave.

Perry looked back and forth between them.

“Fine then.” She turned and went back into the kitchen as a red-faced LaFontaine emerged. They didn't look at each other.

“JP I'll need you to drive me tonight,” Perry called as she disappeared.

“Yes, Miss. Perry,” came the distant reply.

“So, uh, is your cook a chauffeur as well?” Carmilla asked, to fill the sudden silence. She slid onto a bar stool and folded and unfolded her hands on the counter.

“Perry doesn't drive. JP drives her everywhere,” Laura explained, watching LaFontaine with concern.

LaFontaine cleared their throat.

“I'm going to...go out for a walk. I'll be back in a few.” They hurried around the bar and out the front door.

“Well, seems like I got here for all the fun,” Carmilla remarked.

“Don't.” Laura said. “It's been a little tense around here lately.”

“Yeah. Speaking of tense.”

Laura avoided meeting her eyes. Carmilla sighed.

“So that JP guy is the cook, right? And also the blur of motion that scurried out of here when I came in?”

Laura nodded. “He doesn't like people very much.”

“Apparently.”

Laura brushed her hair back with one hand. “He...LaFontaine found him living on the streets when they went into the city once and decided to take him in like a stray puppy. Perry was not pleased at all. He's been here ever since, though.”

“Well, that was awfully generous of them.”

“They have a big heart. And he turned out to be really good at cooking so it worked out for everyone.”

Carmilla nodded to herself and bit her bottom lip.

“Laura, can we...”

Laura cut her off, quickly.

“I need to get your order for lunch. Perry will kick you out if I don't.”

“Oookay, so we're not talking about it then. Got it.” Carmilla's smirk was back, replacing the uncertain look she'd had when she came in. Laura wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or not. Carmilla picked a menu up off the bar. “Uh, some sort of sandwich. Surprise me. You're good at that.”

Laura gave her a _look_ because seriously that was uncalled for and went back to tell JP to get a chicken sandwich ready. When she came back Carmilla had folded her hands on the bar again and was twitching her thumbs back and forth looking a bit lost.

“Listen,” she said when Laura got to the bar. “About the whole Corvae thing.”

“It's none of my business,” Laura cut in.

“No, it isn't. But I want to explain and I don't explain myself to anyone ever so shut up and be grateful.”

Well then, _that_ was unnecessarily rude. Laura folded her arms but didn't comment.

“I do work for Corvae, for my mother, really. But I'm only here to go around and present offers to people we potentially want to buy land from. I'm not supposed to make a big deal or try to coerce people or anything. Play nice, make an offer, move on. That's it. The rest is in Mattie's court.” She sat back, letting that sink in.

“Okay. You still came to my house yesterday under...” How had she put it earlier? “...false pretenses.”

“I did, and I'm sorry about that. I was under a lot of pressure.”

“Well, I'm sorry that your job pressure meant you had to lie your way into my house.” Laura was regaining her footing, clinging to the comfort of generalized annoyance.

“Look, I'm going to tell Mattie to back off if he doesn't like the offer. Okay?” Carmilla ran a hand through her hair, clearly frustrated as well. “That's the best I can do.”

“Why would you do that?” Laura asked. It didn't make a lot of sense for Carmilla to tell Mattie to back off of her father for no reason.

“Because you alibied me the other day and because….” She scowled. “I don't do favors, either, so take it and let's move on.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

They shifted back into silence as Perry exited the kitchen and handed Laura Carmilla's plate. Laura put it on the counter in front of Carmilla as Perry swept back into the kitchen in her angry silence. As Laura watched Perry depart an idea occurred to her.

“Hey, so maybe you can help me out with something,” she said to Carmilla, voice conspiratorially low.

“Didn't I just finish telling you I don't do favors, creampuff?” She pulled the top piece of bread off her sandwich and looked over the contents. “I thought I told you my feelings about pickles.”

Laura ignored this.

“I just got an idea, and I think I need to go somewhere tonight, and I was wondering if you could tag along.”

She wasn't sure why, but the idea of bringing backup sounded appealing. Especially if that backup were Carmilla.

“Uh, are you asking me on a date, sweetheart? Because a moment ago you...”

“No, more like a stakeout.”

Carmilla raised both eyebrows.

“Go on.”

///////////////

Jack Hollis parked his car on the side of the snow-covered dirt trail and killed the engine and lights. There were a couple cars parked along this road, mostly teenagers looking for a secret place to smoke or make out, but all the cars he'd passed today were empty. Probably hikers, or kids goofing off in the woods. The road was one of the few unpaved roads around here that a car could drive on in the snow without risking getting stuck, which made it an ideal location.

Vordenberg despised change, feared it. And Jack figured if he was back to his old tricks of bribing officers for information then he probably had gone right back to his old clandestine meet-up spot.

Back when he'd been on the force they'd busted Mitchell for giving information out to an 'unknown source'. They'd all _known_ it was Vordenberg but there hadn't been any physical evidence and Mitchell had refused to testify against him. Jack has always suspected Vordenberg had something on Mitchell, something with worse consequences than losing his job.

He wondered how long he'd have to wait. Sitting out here in the cold wasn't good for his leg, and who knows how many days it would be before they showed up for a meeting. If they ever did. Laura would start getting suspicious eventually. He was aware that when Danny Lawrence had asked for help this wasn't what she'd had in mind, but it felt good to be out and doing something to help for once.

He was halfway through his thermos of coffee when Vordenberg's car pulled up. It wasn't Vordenberg's normal car, he wasn't _that_ dumb, but Jack Hollis recognized it as one he knew was registered to the Vordenberg estate (he'd asked Danny to get him a list). The car pulled off the road and parked a little ways up the road from Jack's car, the engine still running.

Jack shifted on his chair, hunching further down in the seat to try and stay inconspicuous. He hoped the other parked cars near him were sufficient camouflage. Before too long another car drove by and pulled in behind Vordenberg's. A figure got out but dusk was coming on quickly and Jack couldn't see clearly. Plus whoever it was looked pretty shapeless under their winter clothes. The figure slid into the back of Vordenberg's car but not before Jack snapped a few pictures with his camera, for whatever good that would do in the dark. He made sure to get a few photos of the car's license plate as well. Those would probably prove way more helpful in the long run.

The other person stayed in Vordenberg's car for about twenty minutes. Jack shifted around, rubbed his rapidly stiffening leg and wished he could turn the engine on and get some heat in the car. When the figure finally climbed back out of Vordenberg's car he fumbled to pick his camera back up. A painful twinge ran through his leg and he dropped the camera, scrambling to pick it up. His arm hit the horn.

He winced at the sound breaking through the quiet evening air and carefully placed his camera on the seat next to him.

Glass shards were raining down around him in slow motion and he had a moment to think how pretty it looked, diamond snowflakes floating everywhere, and wonder why it was suddenly so cold in the car. Then the pain kicked in. He looked down and saw red on his shirt.

It'd been quite some time since he'd last been shot. The thought floated through his brain, detached from reality. He knew there were more important things to worry about but his mind seemed to be straying even as his fingers numbed and failed to close around the gun next to his chair. He managed to look up, out the shattered remains of his windshield and see a figure standing not too far away. It turned around and disappeared into the evening. Somewhere he heard a car engine start.

He thought about Laura, then. About how angry she was going to be when she found out he'd been sitting out here in the cold. About how mad Danny would be when she realized that the help he'd offered involved placing himself in danger. Then he slid into the welcome blackness and didn't think about anything anymore.

//////////////

“You're following too closely!” Laura hissed, smacking Carmilla in the thigh.

Carmilla sighed and slowed the car down again. Why was she the driver, anyway?

“If they're looking for someone following them our headlights kind of give it away,” she pointed out. How had she ended up driving around this godforsaken town in the dark tailing Laura's high-strung boss and her recluse driver? “Should I kill the lights?”

“No!” Laura smacked her thigh again, sounding genuinely traumatized. “No. Don't do that.”

“Okay, but it's kind of a give away if they're watching. And if you hit me one more time I'll do it anyway.”

“Don't.” Laura said it again, much more quietly.

“Afraid of the dark?” Carmilla tried to keep her tone light. Laura sounded too upset for it to be that simple.

“No.” Laura was quiet now, which was a change from how the drive had started out. She'd been chatting non-stop about Perry and LaFontaine and how they'd been squabbling about money and deals for weeks now. She saw this as her chance to get to the bottom of what was going on with them. Somehow. Carmilla wasn't too clear on the details, and really, she didn't need to be. A late night drive sounded like a great way to get Laura to finally talk to her.

“What is it with you and driving safety, anyway?” she asked, hanging a right. Where was this JP fellow driving to?

“It's nothing.” Laura said, looking out the side window at the passing snow-covered yards of the neighborhood.

“Right. Nothing.” She probably shouldn't push.

“There was a van,” Laura said, voice flat. She was still staring out the side window. “It slid out on the road outside town, into oncoming traffic. The driver walked away, but the driver of the car the van hit didn't.”

It took Carmilla a second to put the pieces together, from Laura's constant nagging about driving safety, to the pictures on the Hollis family mantel, to a van on an icy highway.

“I'm not going to turn off the headlights, Laura.” It was the only thing she could think to say.

“Yeah, thanks.”

The drove in silence for a little while and then turned onto a street Carmilla was familiar with. She pulled over and parked along the curb.

“Why are we stopping?” Laura asked, glancing around. “The other car is still going.”

“I know where they're headed. They're going to pull into that driveway up ahead.” Carmilla pointed.

The car turned into the driveway as Carmilla pointed at it and a single figure got out of the passenger's seat and headed up to the house.

“That's Perry, I guess JP stays in the car. Poor guy.” Laura said, squinting as if that would help her see better in the dark. “Hey, how did you know that was where they were going?”

“Because,” Carmilla said, eyeing the figure standing in the open doorway of the house. “That's Mattie's house.”

“Wait, like Matska Belmonde Mattie? Don't you work for her?”

Carmilla sneered.

“No. I work for my mother. Mattie has been relaying her orders to me, but she isn't in charge of me.”

Laura was silent for a moment watching Perry disappear into the house.

“That means you're pretty important, right? Working directly for the CEO of Corvae?”

“Hardly. I have no power over anyone or anything else; I do what mother tells me.” She tried not to let the disgust she felt for the situation creep into her voice, but she failed miserably.

“If you hate it so much why don't you leave?”

“If you hate being a server so much why don't you quit?”

“That's not…. Okay, fine. I don't quit because it was the only job I could find in this town and I can't leave this town because my dad needs someone to help take care of him. So what's your excuse?”

Carmilla blew out a breath. This was _really_ not a conversation she wanted to have.

“Are we going to wait here until she comes back out or what?” she asked.

“Now who's the one avoiding answering questions?” Laura asked, sounding satisfied with herself.

“Oh, really? And what questions were you avoiding earlier, creampuff? I can't remember, maybe you can remind me.”

“Maybe we can sneak up and look in a window?” Laura suggested.

“And still avoiding it.”

“Can we...can we just not, please?” Laura asked. She sounded tired.

Carmilla groaned. She could not keep doing this.

“Laura, listen. I'm tired, I'm freezing, I really want to leave this stupid town. If I'm sticking around I want to know why. I'm not saying I'm expecting anything, but...”

Laura tapped her on the arm and she instinctively turned to face her in the dark car. She was expecting Laura to tell her to shut up or to change the topic again, but what she definitely wasn't expecting was Laura to grab her by the collar of her coat and pull her across the drink holders and kiss her again.

After about a hundred years had passed, Carmilla pushed back.

“Jesus. See, this is what I'm talking about. One minute you're telling me you hate my guts and the next...” Carmilla waved an arm. “It's a bit confusing, cupcake.”

“I'm the confusing one?” Laura sounded outraged, which really didn't make a lot of sense. “You're the one who flirts and calls me all these stupid nicknames and then you turn around and are genuinely nice for like half a minute only to turn back into a huge asshole. What am I supposed to think? I don't even know if you like me!”

“You don't know if I…. Oh, for fuck's sake.”

And this time it was Carmilla grabbing Laura's coat and pulling her in. She felt Laura smiling against her lips and couldn't stop herself from smiling back, and even though that meant they weren't kissing anymore, it was almost better.

“Does that answer your question?” Carmilla asked. She couldn't blame Laura too much though, Carmilla had been trying to figure out her own feelings for her for days now.

“I'm not sure I heard the answer clearly,” Laura said, lowering her eyes and grinning. “Maybe run it by me again?”

Carmilla shook her head in mock sadness.

“You're killing me, Hollis.”

A engine started down the street and they both turned to look. JP and Perry's car was backing out of the driveway.

“Well, we completely failed to find out anything,” Laura said, sitting back in her seat. Carmilla reluctantly leaned back into her own. “Do you have any idea what Mattie would be talking to Perry about?” For once her tone didn't hold accusation.

“None. I mean, Mattie's goal here is to buy up property that Corvae is interested in, but mother had me talking to all the potential sellers. Or so I thought, anyway.” She wondered if her mother would give her a straight answer if she called and asked.

“Perry, Laf, and JP all share a house near the Anglerfish. It's nothing special and doesn't have a lot of land. Maybe she's after the diner?” Laura looked alarmed at that thought. “Though, she'd need to get both Perry and Laf to sign off on selling it. And Laf would never go for that.”

Carmilla started her own car engine and edged back out into the street to follow the departing car.

“Mother often tried to buy up local businesses, but usually not unless she was buying a whole block. She'd generally bulldoze everything and rebuild things to maximize on profits. More businesses with less space to bring her more money.”

“That sounds awful.”

Carmilla shrugged. “It's practical. Good business sense. People don't generally get rich by being nice.”

“I think I'd rather be a waitress,” Laura said. Out of the corner of her eye Carmilla saw Laura touching her own lips and smirked to herself. Still got it, Karnstein.

“You're a pretty lousy waitress, all things considered, but...”

“Hey!”

“If you'd let me finish, I was going to say, but I think you'd make a good journalist. You're nosy and persistent, and good at putting things together in your head.” Carmilla mentally rolled her eyes at herself. This wasn't her. She didn't compliment people just to see them smile.

“Oh.” Laura was suddenly very intent on staring at her gloved hands in her lap. “Thanks.”

They followed Perry's car into the night.

////////////////

“Where have you two been?” Danny snapped as Mel and Theo walked in the door of the station.

“I was on patrol,” Mel said. “Which is where I was supposed to be. Who knows what this guy was doing.”

Theo glared at her.

“I was off duty. I didn't think I had to report my activities while off duty.”

“I need to see both of you in my office. Now.” Danny turned and walked away without waiting to see if they followed.

Betty and Kirsch were already sitting in her office and fell quiet immediately when she entered. Theo and Mel took up their habitual spots and waited.

“Theo,” Danny said. “When were you planning to tell us that you were dating Natalie Farmer?”

“He what?” Mel's shock seemed genuine, which wasn't really a surprise. Danny didn't think Mel would ever lie for Theo.

“An anonymous source saw them together a week before Natalie's death. Very clearly together.”

Theo shifted uncomfortably.

“Is dating someone a crime now?” he asked.

“You didn't think it was relevant to mention that you were dating the murder victim?” Danny asked, incredulous. She was thinking back to the crime scene, how calm and collected Theo had been there. His girlfriend had been murdered and he hadn't even batted an eye. “Not to mention the fact we've been sweeping the town for this supposed boyfriend when we could have been using that time to do something else.”

“Under the circumstances I thought it was in my best interests to remain quiet. You would have over-reacted. Like you're doing right now.” How the hell did he seem so calm?

“And where were you around eight thirty on the night of the murder?”

Theo threw his hands up in the air.

“See this is exactly why I didn't say anything.”

Danny remembered finding Theo in Natalie's room that first night at the crime scene. She suspected she had a good idea who had ripped the pages out of Natalie's contact book now. It made sense: his name and number might have been in there, and the book would have been too large to easily conceal, but the pages could be bent and shoved under his coat.

“Well right now you're the closest thing we have to a suspect, so it's in your best interests to give us a _really_ solid alibi.”

“Actually, Chief, I was following him at eight thirty,” Mel said, looking disgusted. “I hate to say it, but he couldn't have killed her.”

“Well, that's...” Danny stopped when her desk phone went off. She frowned at it; that was the hospital number. “I need to take this.”

“Hello?”

“Chief Lawrence? This is Doctor Fernandez over at Silas General.”

“Hello, doctor, what can I do for you?” Please don't let it be another dead body, she added silently.

“A bunch of kids called the hospital to report a badly injured man out in the woods on that little road up on the north-east end of town. Thing is, his injuries are gunshot wounds. Also, well, it's Jack Hollis. Figured you'd want to know immediately for both reasons.”

Danny felt her stomach drop to her feet.

“Is he...is he alive?” She was aware that everyone in the room was suddenly watching her.

“He's in surgery now, it's too early to know for sure, but we think he has a good chance of making it.”

“Thank you, doctor, I'll be right over.”

“I figured you would be. Oh, one more thing. We've been trying to contact his emergency contact, Laura, but no one's picking up at the number we have. We tried the Anglerfish, as well, but they didn't know where she went after her shift ended.”

It was probably the house line and Laura wasn't at home.

“I've got her cell number. I'll call her.”

“I'd appreciate that. Guess I'll see you soon, then.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Danny hung up the phone, feeling sick. Jack had gone after the informant and gotten himself shot, she was positive. And the chances were good that someone standing in this room had shot him. She had her suspicions, but she had no proof.

“Everything alright, Chief?” Betty asked.

Danny looked back up at them all.

“Uh, yeah. Slight change of plans for the evening. Betty, Kirsch, you're coming with me right now on a special assignment. Theo and Mel, you two are to _stay put_. Am I clear?”

A couple glances were exchanged but everyone nodded. Danny headed for the door, trying to fight the sick feeling in her stomach. She had to call Laura immediately.

////////////////////

Carmilla parked her car on the street across from the Anglerfish so it wouldn't be too obvious that they'd arrived back right after Perry and JP's car had pulled into the lot. They both climbed out and stood on the sidewalk by the car.

“Are you going to ask her?”

Laura made a face. “No. I don't think that's the best approach here.” She wasn't sure how Perry would deal with direct confrontation, but she was sure she didn't want to find out. Maybe she could talk to Laf about it.

“Okay. Well, I can ask Mattie, but she probably won't tell me anything.” Carmilla had jammed her hands back into her pockets and was standing with her shoulders hunched.

“That'd be...I mean, you don't have to.” Laura didn't want to get Carmilla in trouble, especially not if Corvae was still wrapped up in the murders. She'd been a bit relieved to hear that Carmilla wasn't reporting to Mattie; it meant that Corvae could be guilty without Carmilla's knowledge or participation.

“She's not going to tell me anything, so it's not a big deal to ask.”

Laura glanced at her again out of the corner of her eye. Carmilla had taken up an advanced study of the pavement and was scuffing the toe of one of her boots on it.

“Hey, turn around a second,” Laura said.

Carmilla looked up and raised an eyebrow but complied, turning to place herself facing Laura with her back to the street. Laura walked towards her and pushed into her personal space, causing Carmilla to stumble backwards a few steps, right back into the side of her parked car, her foot almost slipping off the curb. Laura followed her until she was standing pressed lightly against her, effectively trapping her there.

“This again, cupcake? You have a thing for making out with ladies up against cars?” Carmilla's voice sounded a bit strained.

“Hmmm, could be,” said Laura, leaning up to loop her arms behind Carmilla's neck. “Guess you'll have to stick around to find out.”

She kissed her. It started off slow but quickly got more desperate, needy, as it went. She enjoyed the way Carmilla sort of melted back against the car, as if her legs weren't really up to the job of supporting her weight, and used it as an invitation to press up against her more tightly. She felt Carmilla's hands slide up the back of her neck to tangle in her hair and had a fleeting thought of 'god, her hands are freezing, why doesn't she wear gloves?' before her mind washed that away for more important thoughts.

She pulled back enough to yank on the zipper of Carmilla's coat, granting her access to her neck, which she turned her attention to. Carmilla tried to reach down and pull Laura's head back up so she could kiss her, but Laura grabbed both her wrists with either hand and pinned them against the car.

“Jesus, Laura,” Carmilla said, hoarsely. “Maybe, uh...” She paused to suck in a sudden breath. “Yeah, wow, maybe we should take this off the street? My place?”

Laura pulled back and grinned at her.

“Too hot for you to handle on the street?” Carmilla looked sufficiently flustered to make Laura feel a bit proud of herself.

“Too cold, actually. Let's, uhm, let's head back to my place? If you want?”

“I do want.” Finally something in her life felt like it was going the right way.

Her phone went off in her pocket.

She stepped back from Carmilla and pulled it out; she didn't get phone calls very often so it probably was important. She frowned at the caller ID. Danny? Again?

“I need to take this,” she said, apologetically. Carmilla motioned for her to continue.

“Don't mind me, I'll be over here recovering.”

“Danny?” Why would Danny call her this late?

“Laura, hey. Listen, something happened.”

As Danny kept talking it felt like a buzzing was filling Laura's ears, like nothing around her was real anymore. She wasn't even aware of moving forward to slump against the side of the car, her legs refusing to cooperate anymore. She was aware that Carmilla was asking her something, but her voice sounded far away.

Laura hung up the phone.

“Laura? What's wrong?” Carmilla was hovering in front of her, face unusually etched with concern.

“I need to get to the hospital. My dad's been shot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a request for more of Laura pushing Carmilla against cars, and who am I to ignore such a request?


	9. Into the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla and Laura arrive at the hospital, Laura makes Carmilla an offer, Carmilla deals with the situation in her own way and then goes for a nice car ride.

 

Laura was silent for the first five minutes of the drive. Carmilla kept glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, careful not to take her eyes off the dark, icy road for more than half a second. They didn't need anyone else in the hospital tonight.

“Did you know?” Laura asked as Carmilla braked to take a sharp turn.

“Did I know what?” The amount of ice on the road seemed to have multiplied. Carmilla scowled at nature, weather, and the world in general. Getting Laura to the hospital right now was important, why couldn't the universe fall in line?

“First Natalie, then Ms. Barnes, now my dad. They all had something Corvae wanted.”

This again. Carmilla wanted to be annoyed, but she couldn't really blame Laura for this. It _was_ really damn suspicious. Still, it hurt a little to know Laura thought she might be involved.

“Laura, I swear to you if there was any plan to hurt anyone I didn't know anything about it. I get that you're upset, but I'm not going to say it again. If that's what this is then I didn't know.”

She wished she could pull over to the side of the road, make real eye-contact with Laura so she could see that she was telling the truth, but this wasn't the time. Laura lapsed back into silence.

“My mother isn't above using some, uh, rough persuasion to get her way, but she doesn't generally go around having people killed. And the biggest hole in your theory is that Corvae would benefit from Natalie's death. Natalie was going to sell her property to us, her death actually threw a wrench in Mattie's plans. Your father agreed to look at our offer, too. Something doesn't add up here.”

She knew she should probably stop talking, this wasn't the right time for sleuthing, but the idea of Laura suspecting her being complicit in her father's assault rankled. Laura took her time before responding.

“Natalie was going to sell?”

“Yeah, Mattie told me. They'd actually met earlier on the day she was killed.”

“Oh.” Laura's voice sounded small. Carmilla sighed; somehow she'd said the wrong thing again.

“What is it now, creampuff?”

“Nothing. I guess I was wrong. Maybe I suck at figuring things out after all.”

Carmilla wasn't sure if she wanted to shake Laura or herself more at this moment, because yeah, she should have thought before bringing this up now but also how could Laura blame herself when she didn't have all the facts?

“Whatever, cupcake. You didn't know about that part. Your theory was pretty solid for the evidence you had.” And Carmilla wasn't convinced she was completely wrong. Only that something was still missing.

She heard Laura sniffling a bit and had to force herself not to look away from the road. Well, now she felt like a total tool on top of everything else. They both sat there in silence, Laura trying to hold herself together, and Carmilla trying not to apologize a million times for every single word that had ever come out of her mouth. Pretty girls crying, she never stood a chance.

“The hospital's the next left,” Laura said into the silence.

“I'll let you out at the front and go find parking,” Carmilla told her as they pulled up. Laura didn't object, or say anything else for that matter, so Carmilla figured she was okay with that.

After she parked in the lot and found her way inside, someone at the front desk directed her to the second floor. It was easy to find where she was headed, the hospital wasn't very large and Danny was like a giant landmark pacing up and down the hall. Carmilla walked down to where Danny was, noting that two of her deputies, the tall annoying man, and some woman whose name she couldn't remember, were sitting on either side of a door near where Danny was pacing.

“Where's Laura?” she asked Danny by way of greeting.

“Inside with her father.” Danny stopped pacing to face her. “Where were you today?”

Carmilla blew out a breath.

“You might want to rethink that question, ginger, because there is no way in hell I am going to get blamed for this. Also, I was with Laura the entire day.”

Danny looked at her coldly.

“I'll check that with her later, of course.”

“Knock yourself out. Is her father okay?” Because that was the only important question here.

“He's going to be alright, the bullets didn't hit anything important. He's unconscious still and may be for awhile yet, but he'll be okay.”

Carmilla was surprised at how much relief she felt. It wasn't only about Laura (though a good part of it was), Jack Hollis had impressed her in the short time she'd known him.

“Finally some good news,” she said. Danny looked at her strangely, as if her genuine tone of relief was not what she'd expected. Well, she supposed she hadn't given Danny much reason to like or trust her up til now, but it was still a bit insulting.

The door opened then and Laura slipped out into the hall, eyes red. Carmilla half-raised her arm to reach for her, but let it fall quickly, unsure if the gesture would be welcomed.

“He's still asleep,” Laura said, voice choked up. “The doctor said I should stay out in the waiting lounge for now and let him rest quietly.”

Danny frowned. “I can get him to let you wait in the room with your dad if you need.”

“No, it's okay,” Laura said. “The doctor probably knows best. I'll wait in the lounge.”

“It could be a really long wait, Laura,” Danny said.

“I'm going to stay until tomorrow morning at least. Then I might go home and get some sleep if he hasn't woken up. Plus that blizzard is supposed to hit tomorrow night and I'll need to be at home before then.” Laura sounded far more calm and sure of herself than Carmilla would have been in similar circumstances. But then, she didn't really have anyone to lose. Or she hadn't until recently. What would she have done if Laura had been shot? They'd barely known each other two weeks but still, every fiber of her being roiled with fury at the thought of it being Laura lying in there.

When Laura had gotten off the phone and told her what had happened, Carmilla had switched into efficiency-mode, focused only on getting Laura to the hospital. Now that was done and Jack Hollis was going to live she let herself feel the emotions she'd instinctively suppressed at the news. Mostly it was rage. She didn't really like a lot of people (or anyone at all, if she were being honest), and someone had shot one of the few she'd respected and hurt Laura in the process. Yeah, she was pissed and it felt good. It'd been awhile since she'd allowed herself to get this angry.

“Do you know who did it?” she asked Danny, voice calm and detached.

“Would I have been asking where you were all day if I did?” Danny replied.

“Carmilla was with me,” Laura said quickly.

Mattie. If Corvae were involved in this in any way at all, Mattie would know. She needed to go and have a talk with her immediately, get to the bottom of this mess.

“Listen, there's something else I need to tell you,” Danny said, drawing Laura away. Carmilla followed without meaning to, unwilling to leave Laura alone with anyone right now. Danny glared at her but Laura shook her head slightly and Danny relented.

“Someone has been leaking information to Vordenberg,” Danny said, quietly. “Your dad offered to help me find out who it was, but I didn't think he was actually going to go and place himself in danger. Still, it's my responsibility that this happened and I'm sorry, Laura.”

Laura gave a tired smile. “Like you could stop my dad from doing something he set his mind on.”

“Do you have any idea who the leak was?” Carmilla asked. This didn't sound like Corvae.

“I thought it might be you, since you saw the crime scene.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes.

“Wow, is there _anything_ you don't suspect me of?”

Danny pressed her lips together and looked ready to start in on a real fight, but Laura headed it off by putting a hand on each of their arms.

“I'm going to go to the lounge now and sit down. You're not allowed to fight anymore tonight.”

“Fine.” Danny turned away to go talk to her deputies.

Laura didn't let go of Carmilla's arm.

“Are you going to stay?” Laura asked.

Carmilla thought about Mattie and Corvae and how angry she was and how she really wanted to go find someone she could punch in the face. It wasn't an attitude conducive with sitting in a hospital lounge for who knows how many hours. She dealt with things by acting, not waiting.

“Actually I was going to...”

“Please, Carm?”

Well, shit.

“Of course I'll stay, Laura.”

It was hard to regret her decision when Laura fell asleep on her shoulder about half an hour later. Carmilla wanted to get up and get some water, but decided that death by dehydration might not be the worst fate if it meant letting Laura sleep there a little longer. She awkwardly tried to put an arm around her without dislodging her.

Laura woke up an hour later and sat up, blinking. Carmilla hastily withdrew her arm.

“Did we hear anything yet?”

“No, I would have woken you.”

Laura nodded, sleepily.

“I'm gonna go to the bathroom.” She stood up, stretched, and headed away leaving Carmilla to stretch out all the kinks that had formed in the last hour.

Carmilla stood up, stiffly, and headed back towards the hallway where Jack Hollis' room was. She stopped partway down the hall when she saw Danny talking to the blond deputy, and ducked down behind a large piece of medical equipment. From here she could barely hear them talking.

“...and they're sure?” Danny was asking.

“Yeah, definitely not police issue bullets.”

“I guess they could have another gun, unregistered.” Danny sounded frustrated.

“You really think it was one of them?”

“Who else could it have been?”

Carmilla almost kicked herself for missing the obvious. If someone had leaked information to Vordenberg then the chances were good it was a cop.

“Which one do you think it was?” the blond woman asked, sounding horrified.

“I don't like to speculate without evidence, Betty.”

Carmilla slipped away down the hall; she'd heard enough. Danny thought it was one of her two Lieutenants, that was pretty clear. So the snide woman (Mel, she remembered), or that asshole Theo who had gotten all up in her face during the interview. She could work with that information.

Laura was sitting in her seat looking around anxiously when she got back. When she saw Carmilla she looked relieved and smiled a little and Carmilla realized she wasn't going anywhere for now because, god, Laura's smile was a new and completely unfair thing and she couldn't be expected to see it without losing a bit more of her willpower.

“Where'd you go?”

“Took a walk down the hall to stretch my legs.” Technically true.

“I thought you'd left.”

“I'm not going anywhere,” Carmilla said, sitting back down next to her. With Laura awake it felt a bit strange to put her arm back around her, but Laura kind of leaned against her and her arm didn't listen to her brain's worries and sneaked back around Laura's shoulder on its own.

“Sorry about earlier,” Laura said, shifting her head to look up at her. “I shouldn't have implied you might have been involved.”

“You've got nothing to be sorry about.” Though it was nice to hear it. “The only person who should be sorry is the asshole who did this.”

“Do you think they are? Sorry, I mean?” Laura sounded like she was drifting back off to sleep. The shock and then the relief must have wiped her out.

“I think they will be.” But Laura was already asleep. Carmilla let herself rest her cheek on the top of Laura's head and started making plans.

/////////////

They stayed at the hospital until eight the next morning when Laura decided they needed to get out of there. As worried as she was about her father, she didn't want to risk being stuck in the hospital for the duration of the blizzard. Plus she at least wanted to make an attempt to incrementally shovel out the cars during the storm to keep the snow from piling up to an unmanageable amount.

“We need to stop at the store on the way back,” she told Carmilla.

“Which store?” Carmilla had seemed lost in her own head for the last few hours and Laura wished she knew what she was thinking. Had the sudden emergency freaked her out? Was she ready to bail on Laura now?

“General supply store downtown, right near the Anglerfish. I need to buy some last minute supplies before the blizzard hits.”

“The blizzard, right. What's that all about?”

Was she serious?

“Uh, Carm, do you have any idea what it's like when we get hit by a huge winter storm here? We're talking seven foot snow drifts, roads unplowed for days, living off whatever you have at home, shoveling before it all freezes, the works.”

Carmilla made a noise of disgust.

“Why do people voluntarily live here?”

“Maybe we need to do some shopping for you as well. Do you even own a shovel?”

“I've got a little one to dig the car out.”

Laura tried to tell herself that it wasn't Carmilla's fault she'd clearly never lived through a real northern winter storm before and was completely clueless, but it wasn't like she couldn't take five minutes to google this sort of thing on her phone.

“Yeah, that's really not going to cut it. You're going to need all sorts of things.”

“I'll be fine, Laura. Honestly, it's just some snow.”

“Yeaaaaah, so, when they dig your house out in four months and find your emaciated corpse rotting away inside I'll be able to say I told you so. No deal. We're going to buy you about ten boxes of power bars or something at the very least.”

A thought occurred to her, and while it felt awkward to ask, she couldn't shake it once it wormed its way into her mind.

“You know what? Why don't you crash at my place for the storm? With my dad in the hospital we've got more than enough food for two people stashed away and then I wouldn't have to worry that you were dying or something.”

Carmilla pulled into a parking spot on mainstreet and got out of the car without answering. Laura sighed. She'd fucked it up again, hadn't she? Carmilla was clearly sick of her after she'd made her spend the night in the hospital and she'd gone and pushed her anyway. She climbed out and joined Carmilla on the sidewalk.

“So, you're worried I'm going to die helpless and alone unless I've got you to take care of me, huh?” Carmilla asked, stepping in closer. She was smirking and Laura was now very confused.

“Uh, I didn't put it _quite_ like that, but yeah, that was the general idea.”

Carmilla took another step closer, leaning down the small distance to put their eyes at the same level.

“Well, I wouldn't want you to sit in your snow-bound house worrying about my fate for days.” She leaned in closer; Laura could feel her breath on her face now.

“Yeah, uh, exactly.” She was aware that she was staring at Carmilla's lips when she really should be meeting her eyes. She dragged her eyes upwards and okay, no, that wasn't any less distracting.

“Well, how can I possibly refuse then?” Carmilla said, and reached out with one finger and bopped Laura on the nose before turning and walking away into the store. Laura let out a long breath and shut her eyes. Had she really signed herself up for multiple days of being stuck in a house with this woman? At least she didn't seem mad.

They finished up at the store quickly, since shopping for Carmila was no longer a concern, and Carmilla walked Laura back to where her car was still parked at the Anglerfish.

“I should go in and talk to Laf and Perry before I head home,” Laura said. “You should probably go home and get some clothes and stuff before you head over to my place.”

“Yeah,” Carmilla agreed, the distracted look back in her eyes. “There's a couple things I need to take care of and then I'll be over.”

That sounded unnecessarily ominous, but Laura thought she probably should let it go. She was getting what she wanted in the end, but she was worried.

“Hey, is everything okay?”

Carmilla looked at her and seemed to regain focus for a minute. She leaned down and gave Laura a brief kiss on the lips, only lasting a second, and smiled, crookedly.

“Everything's going to be fine, Laura.” She backed up a little. “I'll see you in an hour or two at your place, okay?” She gave a slight wave and then crammed her hands into her coat pockets and headed away across the parking lot. Laura watched her go and couldn't help but feel a thread of worry weaving through her. What was Carmilla up to?

///////////////

Carmilla pulled into the parking lot at the police station. Danny Lawrence had been passed out sitting against the wall across from Jack Hollis's room at the hospital when she left, and her two deputies had still been on guard duty, so she didn't think she'd have to worry about running into them here.

No one stopped her when she walked in the front door and into the almost-deserted main station room. There was only one person working here right then, and they had their back turned to her at their desk. Carmilla took advantage of this situation to walk up behind them and slam their head down sideways into the desk, pinning them there.

“Ow! What the fuck?” Mel spluttered, struggling to get away. Carmilla put a hand on her back, out of reach, and used it to keep her neatly pinned to the desk.

“You've got three seconds to convince me you didn't shoot Jack Hollis before I beat you into a pulp.”

“Jack Hollis was shot?” Mel sounded surprised, but Carmilla wasn't willing to trust that she wasn't faking it.

“Yes, which means you'd better have a really good alibi for between six and six thirty last night or I'm going to see if I can press your face through this desk.” Carmilla pushed a little harder to emphasize her point.

“Fuck! Calm the hell down, Karnstein. You're assaulting a police officer!”

“Does it seem like I give a single fuck?” Mother would eventually send Mattie to bail her out.

“Okay, okay, take it easy. I was out on patrol, At six twenty something I pulled over a man for having one of his headlights out. It's on the official police logs, and the guy was a local and can back up my story. So you're barking up the wrong tree, psycho.”

Carmilla held her there for a second longer and then released her.

“Jesus,” Mel said, straightening up and rubbing the side of her head. “You're insane. Why do you even care about Jack Hollis?” She touched the gun at her belt as if considering pulling it on Carmilla then and there.

“Theo,” Carmilla said. Well, she'd been hoping for an excuse to punch him in the face since their little interrogation.

“What about Theo? You think he shot Jack Hollis?”

Carmilla looked at Mel. She seemed a bit twitchy, and Carmilla suspected that if she tried to walk out of here right now Mel might arrest her.

“Your boss, Danny Lawrence, seems to think one of you two goons leaked information to Vordenberg about the murders. And Jack Hollis got shot looking into it, which makes you two the primary suspects.”

Mel snorted.

“Of course Danny thinks we did it. We're the scapegoats for everything.” She frowned. “Theo is crazy enough to try something like that, though. And he's always itching for a reason to draw his weapon.”

“Yeah, so where is he?”

“He's out in the parking lot making a phone call, I think,” Mel said. “Danny told us we weren't allowed to leave the station even though we've been here all night and now half the day.”

“I didn't see him when I came in.” Carmilla hadn't even seen another car.

“Yeah, the back parking lot. The one where we park the police vehicles.”

“Right.” Carmilla turned and headed off through the station towards where she hoped a back door would be. She could still feel the anger and adrenaline coursing through her. It made it even easier when she knew her target was Theo.

“Wait! What the hell are you planning to do?” Mel yelled after her.

Carmilla paused and looked back at Mel over her shoulder. “Not sure. But won't it be fun to find out?”

“You're insane.”

“Probably.”

She turned away again and went down a small hall with an exit sign at the end of it, pushing open the door at the end to be hit with a blast of cold air. There was a parking lot at the bottom of a short flight of stairs, and Theo was standing, shivering up against a jeep, his phone pressed to his ear. When he saw Carmilla exit the building he said something into the phone and quickly hung up.

“Can I help you, Miss. Karnstein?” he asked, pushing off the jeep.

“That depends.” She made sure to keep moving towards him. He had a gun so letting him have range would be giving him the advantage. Her mother had made sure she'd had a lot of training, but dodging bullets wasn't really her thing.

She stopped when she was almost within arm's length of him.

“Why did you shoot Jack Hollis?” she asked. No point in being subtle here. Not when his reaction failed to show any surprise at all. Mel might not have seemed to care if Jack Hollis was alright, but she'd been surprised he'd been shot. Theo looked smug.

“There's someone who wants to have a word with you, Miss. Karnstein. Do you think you could see it to come with me for a short drive?” Theo asked, with that condescending smile he did so well.

Not what she'd been expecting.

“Sorry, not in my plans for the day. You did shoot Jack Hollis, didn't you?”

Theo shrugged and smiled wider. Yeah, she didn't have too many doubts here.

“The individual I was speaking with a moment ago is very interested in having a chat with you. Would you be willing to talk to them over the phone at least?” He reached back towards his pocket for his phone.

Carmilla should have seen it coming, but the question had thrown her for the half a second Theo needed and he had his gun out and pointed at her before she could reach into her pocket. Shit.

“Well it seems I don't have much of a choice, now does it?” she asked. She had a pretty good guess who it was that wanted to talk to her and why. Vordenberg really disliked how much Corvae was moving in to Silas, stirring things up, threatening to bring in outsiders who would be less likely to vote for him and break up his control over the local businesses. Mattie was a tough target to go after, she had a hired bodyguard at her house, and a driver, but Carmilla would be easy to threaten a bit as a warning to her.

“No, and while I'd rather shoot you right now, business before pleasure.” Theo motioned with the gun for her to move towards the jeep.

Out of the corner of her eye Carmilla saw Mel come around the side of the building, assess the situation, and draw her own gun. That idiot. She was going to get herself shot. Carmilla rolled her eyes. This town was full of idiots.

“Look, Officer Straka,” Carmilla started, hoping to buy Mel time for whatever idiocy she was planning.

“There's no need to have a discussion about this. Move.”

“Drop your weapon, Straka,” Mel said from behind him.

Theo cursed, but didn't move.

“The problem we have here,” he said, voice relaxed. “Is that you've never shot anyone before. And I don't think you're going to shoot me. On the other hand I have absolutely no qualms about shooting Miss. Karnstein here.”

“Like you shot Jack Hollis?” Mel asked.

“This time I won't leave the job half done,” he said.

Well, there was her last doubt gone.

Theo spun around without warning, and two shots went off in rapid succession. Carmilla felt something hot graze her left arm but ignored it, right hand already reaching inside her coat to pull out what she'd stashed there.

Carmila flicked her wrist and a sixteen inch steel rod sprang out from the handle she was holding. She slammed it into the back of Theo's knees, watching with satisfaction as the crumpled to the pavement, and followed up with smacking him across the shoulders so his arms gave out and he was lying face down on the pavement. She hit his wrist next, and he let out a shriek of pain, the gun falling from his grip. She hoped she'd broken his wrist.

Carmilla looked down at Theo, lying on the pavement writhing in pain and clutching his wrist, and all she could see was Laura coming out of the hospital room, arms crossed hugging herself and eyes red from crying. She hit him again and again. Mostly in the ribs and across his back, but she might have slipped and smashed his fingers a bit once.

“Hey, Karnstein, take it easy, he's down. I've got this.”

Mel was on her feet, bleeding from her right shoulder, but gun held steadily in her left pointing at Theo. Carmilla paused, arm pulled back, and saw that Theo, while still conscious, wasn't going anywhere. She'd probably broken some ribs.

“Asshole made my girlfriend cry,” Carmilla managed to say by way of explanation. Laura technically wasn't her girlfriend, but it was the most concise way of explaining things for now. The rage she'd been feeling since the hospital was starting to recede finally.

Mel shrugged and then whimpered, face contorted in pain.

“Ow, fuck. Well, he shot me, and Jack Hollis, too, so I'm not complaining.” She made a quick head motion towards herself. “Handcuffs on my belt. Cuff him and then I'll call Danny to come deal with him.”

Carmilla stepped over Theo, maybe nudging him a _tiny_ bit with her foot on the way and pulled the cuffs off Mel's belt. She used the side of her own leg to retract the baton and stick it back in her pocket before leaning down to cuff Theo's hands behind him while Mel kept her gun steady on him.

“Your arm is bleeding,” Mel told her as she pulled her police radio out. “I think the shot I took at him must have gone past and grazed you.”

Carmilla glanced down and was surprised to find a tear in both her coat and jacket with blood coming out of it. She poked at it a bit, wondering how she hadn't noticed it earlier because it hurt like a bitch now. More importantly: she kicked Theo in the back, hard.

“What the hell was that for?” Mel asked.

“This is Laura's coat _and_ my favorite leather jacket. Asshole owes me.”

“It was my bullet,” Mel pointed out. “But I don't suggest you try kicking me.”

“I think it's better we both think of it as his fault,” Carmilla agreed. Mel still had her gun out.

She waited as Mel called Danny on the radio and gave a very brief version of what had happened.

“I think we'll call the extra hits, 'resisting arrest',” Mel said after they'd dragged Theo back inside and thrown him into one of the station's holding cells, relieving him of two more guns. Mel's arm was bleeding a lot despite the towel she had pressed on it. “He was trying to fight back so you had to subdue him. He'd already shot me, I mean.”

“Okay,” Carmilla agreed, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “But why help me?”

“You saved my ass back there. He wouldn't have hit me in the shoulder if he'd gotten a second shot off.”

“Wasn't really trying to save you.”

“Yeah, I figured, but you did. Now, if you're willing to have me owe you one more favor, can you drive me to the ER before I bleed out?”

Carmilla sighed. Another trip to the hospital.

////////////

They let Carmilla out of the hospital after she got some stitches, a shot of some sort, and a bottle of painkillers she intended to ignore. Mel had actually had a bullet in her arm so she had to stay a bit longer. Carmilla had left after promising Mel she'd come down to the station to answer Danny's questions as soon as the blizzard permitted.

It was late afternoon now, almost evening, and she was already running late to get to Laura's. Snowflakes were coming down from the stormy grey sky, and there was a nasty chill in the air. She needed to hurry.

She was halfway across the parking lot when a black car pulled up next to her, tires screeching on the pavement. Two very large men jumped out, grabbed Carmilla and threw her into the backseat before she had a chance to react.

Inside the car she found herself sitting next to someone she'd only seen in passing before, a bent older man with a cane. Vordenberg.

“Take us for a drive, if you would be so kind,” Vordenberg called to his driver up front. One of the large men from the parking lot had climbed in next to Carmilla and had a gun pointed at her. That seemed to be a thing that kept happening today.

Carmilla waited in silence as the car pulled out of the hospital and onto the road. She was weighing her odds on being able to disarm the thug next to her before he could get a shot off. They weren't so good. Better to wait until they got where they were going and she could get a little more room to maneuver.

“Now, Miss. Karnstein,” Vordenberg said, once they were underway. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you and your friend have been causing me in town? Swindling local business dealers who are the absolute pinnacles of good citizenry, taking innocents out of their homes, and _murder_ most foul.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. This was going to be an excruciating car ride, she could already tell.

“I didn't kill anyone, Vordenberg. Your little pet psycho, Theo, on the other hand.”

“I don't know anything about this Theo you're talking about, of course. The man works for the local police force if I understand correctly, and is no doubt a mad man, delusional. Who knows what such men might say? Back when I was but a boy I met the most peculiar lunatic once, he was seven feet tall and could open a beer bottle with his teeth….”

Carmilla tuned out and watched the town roll by outside the window. Mattie owed her big time for this. If she got out of it alive. She didn't think Vordenberg was the type to connect himself so closely to a murder, but she wasn't sure.

The car seemed to be approaching the edge of town, Carmilla realized when they passed the turn off to Laura's house. She tried to look disinterested in it in case Vordenberg knew. She wished she could jump out of the car and run to Laura's from here, but the car was going too fast, and anyway she didn't want to bring her dirty business to Laura's doorstep. Plus the guy with the gun probably wouldn't be a fan of that move.

“The point that I'm making here,” Vordenberg said, as the car drove into the now-almost-dark empty highway beyond town. “Is that it is in everyone's best interests if you and Miss. Belmonde were simply to leave town now before this goes any further.”

“And why would we ever do that?” Carmilla asked. Did he think a stern talking to was going to persuade her?

“Well, as far as you are concerned, I don't think it will be an issue at all. And we're very much hoping that you prove to be a lesson to Miss. Belmonde that speaks clearly to the situation.”

And there was the threat she'd been waiting for.

“And why won't I be an issue?” she asked, playing along.

“Stop the car up ahead,” Vordenberg called to the driver. Carmilla glanced out the window, empty snowy wasteland sprawled in every direction, trees visible on the horizon. Night was falling fast, and the snow had picked up quite a bit now. The blizzard was starting and would probably be in full force within the hour.

“It's a cold night out, tonight, and there's going to be quite a large storm. Not a night to be caught out on at all,” Vordenberg said.

Carmilla had a bad feeling she knew where this was going.

“You see I looked into your past as much as I was able to. There were quite a few pieces missing, no doubt removed by your mother and Corvae, but I was able to find out that you've lived in cities most of your life, and in much warmer parts of the country. And you come into my town and assume you have the right to take over when you don't even begin to understand this town and how things work here. I don't need to threaten you, Miss. Karnstein, because Silas is capable of protecting itself.”

Vordenberg paused for breath and then dove right back into his endless prattle.

“Winter storms here are very special, very harsh. You wouldn't respect that, coming from quite a different background. But when I was a young man there was a storm such that no one had ever seen before...”

“If you're going to throw me out into the blizzard, please do it before you continue this story,” Carmilla said, wearily. If he told one more story she was going to punch him in the throat and take her chances with the gun.

Vordenberg sighed.

“That's not very polite, young lady, not polite at all. But as you wish.” He turned to address the thug with the gun. “Please escort Miss. Karnstein out of the vehicle.”

The man with the gun grabbed Carmilla by her arm, which made her wince since it was the one with the bullet graze on it, and hauled her out into the cold. The temperature felt like it had dropped even more since she'd left the hospital. He shoved her so she fell on the snow. She reached for her baton inside her coat, but a booted foot kicked her hard in the ribcage, twice. Then one more kick caught her on the temple, making her head explode in red pain and stars.

When she got her focus back, the car was driving off into the night. She pulled herself to her feet, her head aching and ribs throbbing. All around her in every direction was nothing but snow and trees, the blizzard making it hard to see any distance at all.

She made her way back to the road, deciding that it was her best bet. She pulled on the ridiculous pink gloves that were still in her pockets, grateful for them now, and did her best to tuck her hair in around her collar to keep her neck and ears warm. Huddling up on herself as much as she could, she started walking in the direction she thought Silas was. She had to get back to Laura.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The weapon Carmilla uses is called a telescopic or expandable baton and is illegal in a lot of places. I watched a bunch of youtube videos of people demonstrating them set to overly dramatic music for research. Hilarious.
> 
> Updates every weekend.
> 
> My [tumblr](http://asleepinawell.tumblr.com).


	10. The Blizzard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla goes for a lovely walk in nature and tries not to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus early update again. Had writing momentum going.
> 
> This chapter is gross and full of feelings. You have been warned.

 

It was hard to think of anything except how cold it was. Every step Carmilla took made her ache all over. Her face, which she'd tried to keep burrowed into the top of her coat collar as much as possible, was burning from the wind. She swore that if she made it back to Silas in one piece she was going to invest in some serious winter weather clothes and offer Laura a written apology for not listening to her sooner. Well, probably not really, but it was the thought that counted.

For someone everyone treated like a child, Laura had a lot more good sense than people gave her credit for, Carmilla mused.

She concentrated on each step she took, wading through snow that was already half-way to her knees. Every few feet she dug down with one toe to make sure she was still on the road. So far, so good. The storm was coming down hard enough now that she couldn't see more than a few inches in front of her, the wind and snow causing a total white-out.

Thinking about Laura passed the time for her, but also increased the knot of stress twisting in her stomach. She'd told Laura she'd be back at her house hours ago and then she hadn't even called her after everything that happened with Theo to let her know she was going to be delayed at the hospital. She'd figured it was a conversation best had in person, and also her phone battery had died sometime during the day since she hadn't had a chance to charge it in forever.

A working phone would have been nice right about now. Not that it would get a signal in this storm. And not that a car could even get down the road in this much snow. She didn't think she'd ever gotten Laura's number now that she thought of it, but she could have called Mattie at least.

The hole in her coat from the bullet that had grazed her was proving an annoyance, letting cold air in to slip down her arm and steal her body heat. She'd shoved her gloved hands into her armpits and pulled her head in like a turtle to try and keep as warm as possible. She thought that was the way you were supposed to deal with these situations, but she honestly wasn't sure. Maybe she should stop and build a shelter out of the snow? Wasn't that supposed to be warm? Maybe not. If she couldn't even use a coffee machine she probably shouldn't be trying to build an igloo in a blizzard.

One foot in front of the other. She tripped at some point, sprawling into a snowbank and groaning in pain. Her ribs still really hurt from earlier and her head had settled into a dull throbbing pain. She thought for a second about staying there, waiting until the cold and pain turned to warmth and darkness, but the idea of letting Vordenberg win didn't sit well with her.

Besides, then she'd never get the chance to tell her mother what a bitch she was.

Her mother. Now there was a mess. After the whole incident in Fort Wendal, where Carmilla had ended up in the hospital, then in jail, and then heartbroken, she'd told herself she was done with her mother and Corvae and all of that bullshit. Clearly she'd done a bang-up job with _that_ resolution because here she was back in another small shitty town doing her mother's legwork. Hospital? Check. Jail? Working on it. Heartbroken? Probably also working on that.

She pulled herself up from the snow drift, dusted off as much as she could and started out again, one foot in front of the other. Had to keep moving.

Laura, though. That was a disaster waiting to happen and she almost couldn't bring herself to care. She'd been so angry when she'd gotten into town, mad at her mother for roping her back into this life, mad that she'd been sent to a cold, boring, little town, mad that all the locals were so annoyingly polite and yet distant.

And then there'd been Laura Hollis, all up in her face and throwing a temper tantrum about some goddamn mayo. It had been sort of refreshing. She'd seen something in Laura, something she recognized, but she hadn't put the pieces together until Laura's story about leaving college to come back and take care of her dad. Laura was stuck somewhere she didn't want to be, doing a job she didn't want because of family ties. Carmilla could relate. She knew that feeling of being trapped, like a noose around her neck.

So she'd latched onto her, the only person she could stand in this place. It hadn't helped that Mattie had pushed her to get to know Laura better and despite her common sense yelling at her that she couldn't let this happen again, couldn't afford to fall for someone on the other side of a Corvae deal, she hadn't been able to stop herself.

The wind had picked up a bit and she couldn't feel her nose anymore. She knew that should probably worry her, but she was trying not to think about it. If she let herself worry she was going to make this even worse. She was staggering now from the sheer depth of the snow. How had it piled up this quickly? She was aware that she was shaking, her teeth chattering. How long had she been out here? Half an hour? An hour?

Also, somewhere under all the cold and pain she was aware that she was really hungry. Other than a chocolate bar in the hospital waiting room she'd had nothing to eat since that pickle-ridden sandwich Laura had served her yesterday. That felt like a million years ago.

She shook her head; she needed to stop thinking about how cold she was, it was only making it worse. She tried to think about something more pleasant. Like the first time she'd really heard Laura's genuine enthusiastic laughter. It had been when she'd been reading 'The Jungle Book' to her from that ridiculous bubble bath and she'd tried doing her voice impersonations of the various characters. Laura had started laughing and then tried to stop herself but her face had kept twisting into a grin and laughter had spilled out, echoing through the bathroom. Carmilla hadn't been able to suppress her own smile.

She'd been a goner from that moment on.

And she knew it was a terrible idea. She didn't want to stay in Silas, and there was no way Laura could leave with her dad needing her. And Carmilla was stuck going wherever her mother sent her. So where did that leave them? She knew where it left her: heartbroken and alone again.

She crashed into something and fell over backwards to land on the snow. She winced in pain, the throbbing in her head redoubling, and looked up to see what she'd walked into. It was a pine tree. A pine tree which probably _wasn't_ growing in the middle of the highway. Fuck.

She pulled herself up to her feet, leaning heavily on the tree, and tried to look around. She saw more trees and snow and that was about it. Her footprints behind her were already starting to fill up with snow, but she knew realistically she couldn't double-back now if she had any hope of surviving. The best she could try to do was angle back in the direction she'd come and hope she hit the road again.

Though she wasn't sure how she'd be able to tell if she hit the road. She couldn't stop and dig down every few steps and still expect to make any progress. She was going to have to hope she got lucky. And luck had never been her strong suit in life.

She started off again, trying to walk at the opposite diagonal to the way she'd come, hoping to see a road sign or guardrail or anything to tell her the road was nearby. Between the wind and snow she could have walked within arm's reach of a landmark and never noticed.

She kept walking, unable to do anything else. If didn't even feel like she was in control of her legs anymore, they were moving mechanically on their own. She couldn't feel her face at all or her thighs, and her hands were starting to go numb.

She stopped thinking at that point, settling into the mindless process of staggering ever forward through the snow.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed (twenty minutes? two hours? it all felt the same now.) when she finally noticed something different. At first she thought she had started hallucinating, but after a few seconds she was convinced: there was a scraping noise coming from ahead. She tried to follow the sound as best as possible in the wind. There was something up ahead, a few large dark shapes standing still and another shape that was moving. She tried to move faster, almost falling.

The moving shape resolved itself into a human form as she got closer, the other shapes, cars. The figure was turning towards her, she thought, calling out something, but she couldn't tell what. It moved towards her.

“Carm?”

She had to be hallucinating Laura's voice. She saw the figure drop what it was holding (a shovel, maybe?) and come towards her.

“What are...” Her voice didn't seem to want to work. What had she been going to say.

“Holy hell, Carm? What happened to you?”

“What are you doing...” Words, they were not her friend right now. Her brain was shutting down, trying to sink into darkness. “Laura. You're going to freeze out here,” she finally managed to get out.

And passed out at Laura's feet.

///////////////////

Laura had started panicking when there was a foot of snow on the ground and still no sign of Carmilla. She didn't realize she'd never gotten Carmilla's phone number until she was scrolling through her contacts, searching in vain for a name that wasn't there. She'd thought about driving over to Carmilla's house to see if Carmilla had just fallen asleep like an asshole, but there was enough snow on the ground to make her drop that idea quickly. She didn't want to get caught out in this.

She'd settled for calling Danny, who told her a crazy story about Carmilla saving Mel from a trigger-happy Theo and beating the crap out of him in the parking lot. No wonder Carmilla had been acting so weird before she'd left.

Laura had been torn between annoyance and satisfaction. Carmilla should have told her, and also, maybe not beaten a police officer up in broad daylight, but she was glad Theo had been caught and given back even a fraction of the pain her father had endured. She'd felt a twinge of guilt for that, but fought it down.

But no one had seen Carmilla since she'd left the hospital, and a call to Betty, still stationed in front of her dad's room, had let her find out that Carmilla's car was still in the parking lot. So where the hell was she?

Laura had thrown herself into blizzard preparations, trying to do anything to distract from how worried she was. She hated this, feeling useless. She set up unlit candles and battery powered lanterns all around the house in case the power went out. She did a few quick shoveling trips, making sure the cars were mostly clear and the front steps were walkable.

She spent the entire time worrying about her father and Carmilla.

How could Carmilla disappear like this? It wasn't fair that she had to worry about more than one person at a time.

She was on her third shoveling outing when a snow-covered monster had lurched out of the storm at her, almost giving her a heart-attack. It was the hair that gave away its identity. Even though her hair was completely caked with snow, it was still recognizable as Carmilla's messy locks.

“Carm?” she asked, not believing what she was seeing. Had Carmilla walked here from the hospital or something? That made no sense.

Carmilla had tried to say something, but it came out gravelly and mangled. She looked awful, her face was red and she was shaking so hard she could barely stand.

“Holy hell, Carm? What happened to you?” She was moving automatically to grab Carmilla by the arms, support her. She didn't even seem to notice.

Carmilla tried to say something again, but it was still hard to understand with all the wind.

“Laura. You're going to freeze out here,” Carmilla finally managed, and passed out.

“Oh crap, Carm!” Laura dropped down next to her and tried to pull her up out of the snow onto her lap. “Wait, _I'm_ going to freeze out here? What the heck?”

Okay, not the time for that.

She looped her arms around Carmilla's waist from behind her and stood up slowly, pulling her up with her. Damn, she was heavier than she looked. Carmilla shifted and groaned.

“Carm, can you hear me?” she asked near Carmilla's ear.

“Need to sleep now,” Carmilla muttered.

“No, no, no, that is a bad idea. You need to help me out here. I can't carry you through the snow by myself. You need to walk.”

Carmilla didn't say anything but she seemed to get her feet back under her a little, taking some of her weight off Laura. Taking that as a good sign, Laura rearranged them so Carmilla was next to her, and Laura had an arm around her waist, Carmilla's arm slung over Laura's shoulder.

“Okay, we're going to walk up to the house now. You ready?”

Carmilla grunted, which could have meant anything, but Laura decided to take it as agreement. She started moving towards the house and Carmilla managed to limp along next to her, still putting most of her weight on Laura. When they got to the steps, Laura had to do most of the work of dragging Carmilla up the two steps to the little front porch and holding Carmilla up as she got her keys out of her zipped inner pocket.

Once inside she brought Carmilla into the living room and helped her down as gently as possible in front of the fire she had going in the fireplace. She wracked her brain to remember everything she knew about treating hypothermia, because by the way Carmilla was shaking and almost unconscious that sure looked like a strong possibility right now.

She had to warm her up, she knew. But she was supposed to warm up her core body first to keep the cold blood in her arms and legs from traveling back to her heart. She ran into her father's bedroom and stripped the bed bare of sheets and heavy blankets, bringing them all back out.

“Carm, I'm going to need your help again. I can't leave you in those clothes.”

“Tryin to get me naked?” Carmilla slurred. “I see how it is” Her head fell forward to smack into her knees.

“Please,” Laura pleaded. If she started giving it to how terrified she was right now she wouldn't be able to deal with this.

“Yeah, yeah,” Carmilla mumbled and tried to wave a hand at Laura. Her arm sort of flopped a bit.

Laura sighed and reached down to unzip her coat and ease her arms out of it. Some of the frozen snow that fell off was red. What had happened to Carmilla's left arm? The leather jacket came off next, mostly dry from being under the heavy coat. Getting Carmilla's shirt and pants off required some acrobatics that Laura hoped to never have to relive. Her underwear seemed completely dry so Laura left them on, because having a total heart-attack wouldn't help her concentrate now.

She noticed that there was a nasty-looking wound on Carmilla's shoulder with stitches in it. Probably the cause of the blood from earlier. Some of the stitches looked like they'd torn, but it didn't seem to be bleeding now. She wiped the area around it clean with Carmilla's shirt but left it alone otherwise. She could deal with that later.

Once she had that done she laid a couple blankets on the floor and nudged Carmilla until she lay down on them and then covered her with more blankets.

“I'm going to go warm up a heating pack and get you more blankets, okay?”

“Hmmm,” Carmilla managed.

When Laura returned with more blankets and three heating packs fresh from the microwave, Carmilla seemed to have fallen back asleep. Laura thought about waking her up again, but figured it was okay now that she was starting to get her body temperature back up. She thought she might look a tiny bit better already, but it could have been wishful thinking. At least she wasn't shaking so hard.

She laid one heating pack right near Carmilla's neck, and tucked the other two into her armpits. She was pretty sure that was what she was supposed to do with them.

Of course there was one other thing all the hypothermia treatments recommended.

Laura stood there, looking down at Carmilla for a few minutes, trying to talk herself into doing this. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but it felt like an invasion of privacy somehow. And not how this was supposed to go at all.

She shook her head at herself. This was Carmilla's life on the line here, she didn't have time to freak out now. She sighed and started stripping down to her own underwear. Carmilla was unconscious anyway, so it wasn't like she was watching.

Once she was in her underwear Laura crawled under the blankets with Carmilla, and tentatively moved up next to her. Carmiilla shifted in her sleep and sighed, causing Laura's heart to race. She took a few breaths to calm herself down. This was silly, there was no reason to be so nervous. This was life-saving procedures happening here, nothing more.

She shifted and carefully lay down half on top of Carmilla, chest to chest, stretched kind of sideways across her with her head ending up under her chin angled towards her left shoulder. Carmilla moved a little under her but didn't seem to wake up.

Okay, so she was committed to this now. And the hardest part was over. Now she had to wait, and hope that she'd gotten Carmilla warm soon enough. There was no way an ambulance was getting through tonight, so this was Carmilla's only hope.

She lay there, hearing Carmilla's slow but steady heartbeat under her ear. It took her a very long time to fall asleep.

////////////////

Carmilla woke up in pain. Her arm throbbed, her ribs ached, and her head was splitting open. The next thing she noticed was how warm it was. Was she still out in the snow, dying? She'd heard that when you froze to death the last thing that happened was you felt warm. She cautiously opened one eye, eyelid stiff and painful. Above her was an off-white ceiling and there was bright light everywhere. She closed her eye again, groaning. Not outside, then.

Something on top of her shifted.

“Carm?”

Laura's voice for sure. She had to be hallucinating.

“Where…?” Her throat felt like sandpaper.

“You're at my house,” Laura said. Her voice sounded unnecessarily loud. “How are you feeling?”

Carmilla forced her eyes open, wincing and squinting as they adjusted to the light. She tried to look around and get a handle on her situation. There was a fire in a fireplace nearby, a lot of blankets on top of her, and also on top of her…. Well then.

“Must have been one hell of a party last night,” she rasped.

“Well someone's feeling better, I see,” Laura said and slid off of her, moving out from under the blankets and wrapping one of them around herself. Carmilla immediately missed the extra warmth. “I'll go get you something to drink.”

After Laura had vanished from her line of vision, Carmilla tried to move. Sitting up didn't seem to be an option yet, but she could move her arms and legs some and all her fingers and toes seemed to still be attached, so that was good. She was remembering what had happened in bits and pieces. There was the hospital, Vordenberg, getting dumped out on the side of the road. After that everything was a bit spotty until she'd collapsed at Laura's feet in what must have been her driveway.

“Here, let's get you sitting up and you can drink this.”

Laura was back, holding a glass of what looked like water. She placed the water somewhere on the floor and came over to help Carmilla up. Carmilla tried to push away her helping hands, but lacked the strength to make much of an effort.

“This would be a lot easier if you weren't squirming so much,” Laura pointed out.

Carmilla sighed and gave in. Once she was mostly sitting up, Laura handed her a glass of water that was surprisingly warm.

“The power's out so I couldn't make tea or anything, but the water heater is still okay so at least we have warm-ish water.” Laura sounded hopeful yet apologetic.

The power being out explained why the only source of light was the fire in the fireplace and a bunch of battery-powered lanterns scattered around.

“We do have a back-up generator, of course,” Laura continued as if Carmilla would naturally assume that anyone in their right mind would have such a thing. “Buuuuuut, it's kinda, sorta, not working?”

Carmilla managed to swallow about half the glass of warm water and felt like maybe talking was an option again.

“What happened here, by the way?” The sheets had fallen to Carmilla's waist and Laura was motioning at the large reddish mark across her ribcage.

“Got kicked in the side,” Carmilla managed. She raised her hand to the side of her head to feel the tender spot there as well.

“You got kicked in the head, too?” Laura asked, watching the motion.

“Yeah, Vordenberg throws a hell of a party.”

“Vordenberg did this?” Laura was gently brushing Carmilla's hair back to try and get a look at the bruise there and while it hurt like hell, Carmilla made no motion to stop her.

“Something about not wanting Corvae in Silas anymore.”

“Well, I don't really want Corvae in Silas either,” Laura said. “Present company excluded, but Vordenberg is at least partially responsible for having my dad shot so at this point they seem like the lesser of two evils.”

“I think...” Carmilla drank some more of the water. “I think, fuck em both, maybe.”

Laura burst into tears.

“Hey,” Carmilla said, alarmed. What had she said? “I didn't think you liked Corvae _that_ much.” She reached out with her free arm to awkwardly pat Laura on the back. “Cupcake, what's wrong?”

“I was so worried when you didn't come back, and no one knew where you were and Danny said you'd attacked Theo in a parking lot and then gone to the hospital and then you showed up here out of the storm and fell over and I thought you were going to die.” Laura took a deep breath and got herself back under control. She took the empty glass away from Carmilla and stood up. “Let me get you some more water.”

Carmilla let her go, she figured Laura wanted a minute to compose herself. She knew that what had happened with Vordenberg wasn't her fault, but Theo definitely was. Should she apologize for that? She didn't feel the least bit sorry.

“Here.” Laura handed her another glass of water. She looked like she'd splashed some water on her face. “After that do you want to go back to sleep, or maybe try and get up and move around a little?”

“I think I'm okay on sleep for right now.” She still felt a little tired, but she didn't want to be unconscious again yet. “So did I have hypothermia or something?”

Laura shrugged.

“I'm not completely sure. I didn't take your temperature or anything. It might have been, but it was pretty mild if it was. How long were you out there, anyway?”

“No clue.” It was all a bit hazy still. Had she walked into a tree at one point? “A lot of the problem may have been exhaustion and hunger.” She didn't feel that hungry now, though, instead she felt heavy and kind of slow, like she was recovering from the flu.

“You got really lucky that you weren't out there longer. And then you show up here and tell _me_ to get out of the cold.” Laura smacked her on the arm, playfully. Carmilla yelped slightly.

“Oh, crap, sorry,” Laura said. “I forgot you have that cut or whatever on your arm. What happened there?”

“I got shot,” Carmilla explained, feeling a bit proud of herself. She'd been without sleep for over a day, beaten up a cop, gotten shot, gotten stitches, been kidnapped, and survived a blizzard. And then woken up with a nearly naked woman on top of her. Certainly not how she'd seen her week going.

“Theo shot you?” Laura looked confused.

“Mel actually, it was friendly fire. Mostly friendly.” She'd figured out what she wanted now and hurried to change the subject. “You said the water heater was still working, do you think I could have a bath?” It sounded amazing right now.

“Uhm, I'm not sure that's a good idea. You're not supposed to immerse people in hot water when they have hypothermia.”

“First of all, you said it was mild hypothermia, if at all. Second of all, how long have you had me baking under all those blankets?”

“About three hours now, but… Okay, wait a minute.” Laura scurried off again and returned a moment later with a plastic thermometer.

“Really?” Carmilla asked, raising her eyebrows at it.

“Look, if your body temperature is normal then we can try this. How do your arms and legs feel, by the way?”

Carmilla wiggled her limbs experimentally. “Uh, okay? Normal?”

“You don't have any chills in them?”

“Nope.”

“Okay, well, under your tongue,” Laura said, pushing the thermometer at her. Carmilla grudgingly allowed her temperature to be taken. “98.3. I think you're good.”

“Only good?” Carmilla smirked at her.

Laura rolled her eyes. “Okay, clearly you're fine. I'll go get the water running and figure out how to deal with lighting in there.”

Carmilla used that time to try and get herself into a standing position. It was a slow, painful process since her legs felt a bit weak and her ribs hurt. She felt gingerly along her side but was pretty sure Vordenberg's goon hadn't broken any ribs. She'd had ribs broken before and this wasn't painful enough for that. Not that it didn't hurt.

“Let me help you,” Laura said, coming back across the living room. Carmilla saw Laura blush slightly and realized she was standing there in her underwear whereas Laura had somehow gotten dressed somewhere in all the fuss. Oh well. Whatever. She allowed Laura to help her make her way across the living room, down the hall and into the bathroom, which was now completely lit by small candles on every available surface.

“How romantic,” she said, teasing.

“Shut up, it's all we have until the power comes back.”

“And when will that be?”

“Probably sometime tomorrow if the storm lets up. They're pretty good about getting out and fixing it. Though if it's wires down under the weight of the snow it might take a little longer.”

“Why do you choose to live here again?”

Laura didn't answer. Carmilla pulled away from her and went over to the side of the tub. She pulled off her last remaining items of clothing and climbed carefully in. Once she'd settled she looked back towards the door to see Laura frozen on the spot. Oh right, Laura got all tongue-tied around nudity. She'd forgotten that.

“Come in and shut the door, you're letting all the hot air out,” she ordered.

Laura shut the door and then leaned up against it, looking anywhere but at Carmilla.

“We've got to stop meeting like this,” Carmilla joked, hoping to make Laura calm down already.

“It does seem to keep happening,” Laura agreed, smiling a little.

“Ow!” The cut on her arm had slipped under the water for a second and holy hell that really hurt.

“Are you okay?” Laura asked, suddenly white as a sheet. No doubt she had visions of Carmilla dying horribly from the aftereffects of hypothermia dancing in her mind.

“Yeah, I just keep sliding in this ridiculously oversized tub and the bullet wound does not appreciate the water so much.” The almost-hot water felt great otherwise.

“You're one to talk about ridiculously oversized tubs,” Laura muttered.

“Seriously, though, I can't touch the end with my feet and its like the bottom is made of glass or something.” It might have been the exhaustion and the fact her body was still recovering from the cold because it felt like a constant battle not to slide under the water. She was holding the sides of the tub in a vice-like grip to try and stay upright.

“If I leave you here you're going to drown, aren't you?” Laura asked. “You really must have pissed off the elements in a former life or something. You're always drowning or freezing to death.”

“A little help here?” Carmilla hated to ask, but she didn't want to have another go at drowning. The last experience had been far from pleasant.

Laura looked at her for a long moment and then blew out a sigh of resignation.

“Fine.”

She reached down and unbuttoned her jeans, sliding them off. Carmilla gaped at her.

“Uh, Laura?”

Laura then unhooked and slid her bra off without removing her shirt and walked over to the tub.

“Scooch forward.”

Carmilla complied, hastily, and Laura settled herself in behind her, water sloshing over the edges of the tub. She rested herself up against the back of the tub and Carmilla, after a moment to think about it, lay back cautiously to lean against her. She was secretly thankful that Laura was still wearing some clothes; she was too damn out of it to appreciate the situation fully right now. Laura's arms circled around her waist to keep her from slipping, careful not too stray to high or too low.

“Is that better?” Laura asked, voice a bit shaky.

“Yeah, that'll work.” Carmilla let out a breath and relaxed back into Laura.

They stayed there in silence for awhile, enjoying the warm water, Carmilla getting lulled by the rise and fall of Laura's chest behind her.

“So what possessed you to go all black widow on Theo?” Laura asked, jarring Carmilla back from the edge of sleep.

“Uh, well, he _had_ shot your father, you know. It seemed like the thing to do.”

Laura chuckled against the back of Carmilla's neck, sending a shiver down her spine. Why was she laughing? Carmilla had expected to get scolded. Maybe almost dying was getting her out of a scolding.

“That's very sweet of you. Completely crazy and please don't ever do it again, but sweet.”

“All I had was a hammer, and Theo looked an awful lot like a nail.” It was the best explanation she could come up with. Sitting around doing nothing hadn't been an option.

“Why?” And Carmilla knew Laura's question went a lot deeper than why she'd felt it necessary to go smack Theo around.

“Is this really the time for that?” Carmilla asked.

“I don't know.” Laura fell quiet again and Carmilla sighed in defeat.

“My mother had me trained up to her standards. I was home-schooled my whole life and never got to attend college. Anything and everything I've been allowed to learn has been at her whim. So yeah, I'm bad at simple every day life stuff and I don't know the first thing about cold weather, or coffee makers, or a million other little things you pick up from having a normal life, but I do know how to disarm someone with a gun and get them on their face and helpless.”

She waited for judgment.

“So why stay with her?” It didn't sound accusatory (for which Carmilla was embarrassingly grateful), only curious. But then she should have known that Laura would understand family matters weren't always as simple as they seemed.

“I've got no high-school diploma, certainly no college degree, no real life skills. I did run off once and try to live off a job working at a coffee shop, but mother caught up to me fairly quickly and explained it was in my best interests to come back. And by that point I was starving and about to be late on my rent, so I couldn't really argue.”

“And you're going to let her pay your way for the rest of your life?” Laura sounded horrified by the concept.

“There's a trust fund in my name, but she's the executor of it. The rules of the trust stipulate that I get full access when she chooses to hand it over. Really, my grandparents should have thought that one through a little better. She told me that if I finish up a few more tasks for her she'll hand over control to me. Finally.”

“Do you believe her?”

“Not really. But I don't see a lot of other choices right now.”

“Hmmm. Well, you could always stay here. Maybe Laf could get you a job at the Anglerfish.”

There they were, those cracks of disaster and heartbreak crawling their way back through her chest. Because lying here with Laura in a tub surrounded by candles while a storm raged outside it was nice to pretend for a minute that the world outside couldn't touch them.

“Laura, you know that's not an answer.”

“Why not?”

“I wouldn't… I can't...” How could she explain it? “I'm not going to stay after Corvae is done here and we both know it.”

“But why couldn't you?” It was the childish part of Laura that was back, the part that wanted everything to work out okay in the end and everyone to be happy.

“You want someone who's willing to stay here with you and live in Silas and have a normal little life, but that's not me. I can't do that.” It was the talk she should have had last time this had happened, and she'd be damned if she let things go down that way again.

“What if I left?” Laura asked and Carmilla's breath caught. She let it out slowly.

“We both know that isn't going to happen. You're not going to leave your dad unless something changes the situation completely. And what would you do? Come back to Corvae with me? That would never work.” Her mother would have a fit.

Laura's arms tightened around her, as if she was trying to hold onto her by sheer force of will. Carmilla shifted involuntarily at the pain in her ribs, but didn't tell Laura to stop.

“Why are you making this so hard?” Laura's voice was faint. “I haven't liked anyone in so long and now you're telling me that anything between us is impossible.”

Carmilla knew she shouldn't, but she relented.

“I'm not saying it's impossible.” It probably was. “It is difficult, though. And I'm saying it because I have to. Because this is how you don't fuck things up.”

“It's not fair.”

It really wasn't.

“Listen, Laura, maybe for right now, while we're trapped here, we can forget about that?” It was a terrible idea, Carmilla knew it, but she wanted it too much to help herself.

“That wouldn't be fair to either of us.”

Carmilla sighed. At least Laura had the common sense she lacked herself.

“Are you alright on your own now?” Laura asked, and Carmilla understood that Laura wanted to leave now. Well, she couldn't blame her. Still the bath felt cold and empty after Laura had gone to find her some clean clothes to wear.

Carmilla had to admit she felt better after she was dressed and moving around again. She was starting to feel a little hungry again, but decided to wait until after she slept for a bit more to deal with that.

She walked up the stairs and down the hall to the room Laura had made up for her to stay in, toweling her hair as she went. Apparently it had used to belong to her father, but he'd turned the downstairs study into his room after he hurt his leg.

“Why didn't you take this room?” Carmilla asked, standing in the doorway watching Laura finish smoothing the sheets and blankets down on the bed. “Looks a lot bigger than your room.”

“Dad suggested that, but it didn't feel right.” Laura fluffed a pillow up and threw it back on the bed. “That should do it for you. I need to go back out and shovel some more.” She moved to stand in the doorframe across from Carmilla.

“Listen, Laura, about before...” She didn't have a follow up so she stopped.

“What about it?” Laura was watching her far too closely.

“I...look...” Laura _was_ looking at her, though. That was probably why she was incapable of getting a coherent sentence out.

Laura moved forward to stand in front of Carmilla, putting a hand on either side of her, trapping her against the door frame.

“Laura, this isn't a good idea.” Why was she still talking?

“I know.” Laura's lips ghosting above hers.

When Laura kissed her the last of her willpower fled. And then Laura was leading her by the arm and pushing her back to fall on the bed, her ribs protesting slightly at the impact but quickly forgotten because Laura had climbed to sit on top of her and was looking down at her with such wonder in her eyes. Carmilla hoped Laura could see the same in her own.

“Tell me to leave and I will,” Laura said, softly, leaning down to kiss her again.

“No,” Carmilla said, pulling back to look her in the eyes. “Stay.”

Outside the storm raged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well then.
> 
> Anyway, meant to add this as an end note a few chapters ago. In my original outline of this story I had Theo kill Laura's dad in their house and Laura come home to that. Then I reread my outline and was like holy shit I don't want to write that, that's awful. That led to this much nicer version of events unfolding. Other changes from the original outline: Carmilla was going to kill Theo. That was a bit too impractical though.
> 
> Everything I learned about hypothermia I learned through some basic internet research so I can't swear to its validity. Laura is definitely 100% correct that you do not put someone with hypothermia into a hot bath. Carmilla was never in that much danger and was in the clear by the time that happened, but still. Anyway, please don't take my written advice on any of this and get real medical help if someone has hypothermia.


	11. Questions and Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura fails to shovel her front walk, the ginger squad shows up, Laura and Carmilla get to questioning people.

 

Laura sat across from Carmilla at the counter island in the kitchen, both of them perched on stools and drinking bottled water out of glasses. The heating had gone out with the power and while the house was thoroughly insulated against the cold, it was starting to get a little chilly. It was early evening the day after she'd found Carmilla outside and though the snow had stopped, the temperature remained low, especially after it got dark.

“We should probably go back to bed soon,” Laura said, curling her toes against one of the stool rungs.

Carmilla chuckled, her face half in shadow from the flickering candles lighting the room.

“Someone's in a hurry.”

Laura rolled her eyes. She couldn't say that Carmilla was  _wrong_ really, but she was obnoxious.

“I meant because it's cold and getting colder.”

Carmilla seemed about to make another lewd remark in response to that so Laura quickly cut her off.

“You still haven't told me exactly what went down with Vordenberg, you know.” The last day had been _very_ _busy_. So busy she hadn't even had time to shovel the walk yet.

“Not much to tell.” Carmilla had her hands wrapped around her glass and was glancing around the room with a show of indifference. “Two goons with guns grabbed me in the hospital parking lot, chucked me in his car, I had to listen to him talk for basically forever, and then he dumped me out in the storm outside town.”

“What did he want, though?” She wasn't sure how throwing Carmilla out in a blizzard did anything to Corvae.

“I think he intended that I'd freeze to death as a warning to Mattie. Something like that. He seems a bit over-dramatic and not especially bright.”

That was a fair assessment of Vordenberg from Laura's dealings with him.

“Do you think he's behind Natalie and Ms. Barnes' murder?” It had been weighing on her mind, because as much as she'd love for Vordenberg to be guilty of all of it, something still didn't feel right.

“Doubt it. What would he gain?”

Laura tapped her fingernails on the side of her glass, enjoying the little plinking noises they made. Carmilla scowled at her and Laura smiled but didn't stop.

“Undermining Corvae? You said Natalie was going to make a deal.”

“Yeah, but how would he know that?”

Of course, Carmilla didn't know about that little fact. Laura only knew from her phone conversation with Danny.

“Theo was dating Natalie. Probably to spy on her and the land deal if I had to guess.” She didn't like to think Theo capable of actual human emotions, it made it easier to hate him.

“Huh. Well isn't _that_ cute.” Carmilla seemed amused. “But that doesn't count Ms. Barnes. She wasn't going to sell. She said something like over her dead body which...” Carmilla made a face. “...was probably unfortunate wording in retrospect.”

“Maybe Vordenberg didn't know she wouldn't sell. Had her taken out as a precaution?” Laura knew she was reaching.

“Maybe, I guess. The whole thing doesn't seem like his style, though.”

She was right about that. Vordenberg was into grand gestures and theatrics. Dumping someone in a blizzard was a Bond-villain move right up his alley, sneaking around bludgeoning little old ladies didn't fit her image of him.

“Why does it still matter?” Carmilla asked, stretching her arms over her head. “Theo's in jail, your dad is going to be okay. Let the police deal with the rest of it.”

Laura shook her head, slowly.

“No, I can't do that.”

Carmilla groaned.

“Why not? Look what poking his nose into trouble got for your dad.”

Laura stiffened and Carmilla immediately looked a bit guilty.

“Sorry, that wasn't...” She shook her head. “No, actually, I'm not sorry. Your dad got shot trying to run down an information leak. What could happen to you if you try and expose a murderer?”

“You don't think I can take care of myself.” It came out bitter. No one thought she could.

“No, that's not what I meant.” Carmilla ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “There's a person out there who is _killing_ people. What would you do if they came after you?”

“I keep mace in my car.” It was a pretty weak argument, she knew.

“Laura...”

“I'm not giving up.”

Carmilla let out a long sigh.

“Fine. What's our next move then?”

Laura felt her heart jump a little and swallowed hard.

“ _Our_ next move?”

Carmilla looked up at her with a wry smile.

“You think I'm going to let you throw yourself into danger alone? I've got all this stupid training my mother forced on me, might as well use it for the forces of good for once.”

Laura had been thinking about that a lot but hadn't been sure how to broach the topic. Also, she'd been a bit too busy to bring it up.

“About that…. What exactly did your mother have you do with that training?”

Carmilla's face shut down.

“I don't think you want to hear about that.”

Laura looked at her, this amazing woman sitting in her kitchen, her long dark hair messy around her wearing an over-sized shirt that Laura thought might have been her dad's, and wondered what Carmilla thought she could say that could ever make a difference to how Laura thought of her. She skimmed around the edges of what exactly it was she did feel; she wasn't ready for that yet, especially considering the weight of the future that still hung over them both.

“Of course I want to hear about it. It's no fair for you to clam up and be all tragic hero with a dark past all the time.”

Carmilla snorted.

“Hardly.”

Laura reached over and shoved her arm.

“Come on.”

Carmilla sighed, resigned. She focused her eyes on her glass of water.

“Mother wasn't above using some, uh, forceful persuasion to get her way in a deal. Sometimes she'd send me in to encourage people to change their mind and see her side of things.”

“Oh.” Maybe she hadn't really wanted to know that. “Did you ever kill anyone?”

Carmilla looked up, frowning.

“No. Though it might have been easier if I had.”

Laura raised her eyebrows, silently asking for more of an explanation.

“A job…it went sideways a bit. A lot of people got hurt and mother lost a great deal of money. I got in trouble with the local law enforcement and mother had to bail me out. That was what made me run off and try to start a new life that one time. I was supposed to kill someone, but I couldn't. If I had things might have been a lot simpler for everyone.”

Laura sensed that was as much of the story as she was going to get.

“I think it's good that you stuck to your morals and didn't kill anyone,” she said, carefully. Still, Carmilla had admitted to hurting a lot of people because her mother had told her to. Obviously the circumstances were complicated, but that didn't change the facts.

“It bothers you, doesn't it?” Carmilla asked, softly. She was watching Laura closely.

“What bothers me?”

“That I did things like that. Hurt people on someone's orders.”

“No. Well. Maybe a little.”

Carmilla's lips twisted into a bitter smile.

“I can't change who I am, cupcake.”

Laura nodded, glumly. Carmilla slid off her stool and came around the counter to stand behind Laura, wrapping her arms around her waist and pressing lightly against her back.

“Hey,” she breathed warm air on the side of Laura's neck. “Think of it this way, at least you have a trained badass on your side now.”

Laura rolled her eyes again.

“Oh please, you can't even walk across your own yard without falling in a pond.” Carmilla's body pressed up against hers was a bit distracting, though.

Carmilla kissed her on the check.

“I bet I can carry you all the way back upstairs without nature intervening to strike me down, though.”

And suddenly Laura found herself picked up and thrown roughly over Carmilla's shoulder, the kitchen vanishing behind her as they headed towards the stairs.

“Hey!” She smacked Carmilla in the back with one hand. “Put me down! Carm!”

Carmilla only laughed.

“This is what you get for mocking me, cupcake.”

She put Laura down on her feet when they reached the top of the stairs.

“Are you okay?” she asked, brushing a few locks of Laura's hair back into place.

“Yeah, I'm fine, _thanks_. Can you never do that again?”

Carmilla tried to look contrite, but Laura wasn't buying it.

“Let me make it up to you.”

“I could use some help shoveling the walk.” Laura had put it off long enough. It really needed to get done.

Carmilla leaned in and hovered over Laura's lips.

“Not exactly what I had in mind, sweetheart.”

Well, the front walk could wait a little longer.

////////////////

The power had come back on sometime during the night, and thankfully that meant the heat was back on as well. Laura spent the morning removing candles from all the rooms she'd set them up in. She'd been careful not to leave them lit in any room she wasn't in at the time, but they were still all over. After she finished her mini-cleaning spree she found Carmilla in the kitchen, grimacing at the coffee machine.

“I think your coffee machine is even more complicated than mine.”

“You know I could show you how to use it and then this wouldn't be an issue in the future.”

Carmilla made a face. “I try not to learn new things before two pm.”

Laura sighed and took over making coffee for both of them.

“And I still can't believe you have no alcohol in this whole house,” Carmilla complained. She'd brought this up several times over the last day and a half.

“My dad doesn't like alcohol.” She only drank it at the Anglerfish when she wasn't on duty and didn't have to drive anytime soon. “And it's ten am. Why in the world do you drink in the morning?”

“Not only in the morning.” Carmilla had taken up a seat on one of the stools in the kitchen and was watching her make the coffee.

“Okay, so why do you drink _all the time_?”

Carmilla shrugged. “My mother is a psychotic megalomaniac who tries to control every aspect of my life and wants me to murder people for her. Can you blame me?”

“Maybe.” Laura didn't see any need to make a bad situation worse.

Carmilla sighed, drumming her nails on the counter. “Well, that's the best excuse I've got, cupcake.”

“If you don't murder people for your mother, does someone else?” She'd been wondering about that since Carmilla had told her about her past.

Carmilla's face stilled in the way Laura was coming to realize meant she was shutting down her emotions because Laura had hit too close to home. She kept making the coffee, content to let Carmilla answer (or not) in her own time.

“Yeah,” Carmilla said finally. “Sometimes she takes in orphans or foster kids really young, trains them to work for her the way she trained me. There were a few others I knew of, though I rarely ever ran into them.”

“How did she get away with that? Aren't there systems, or...or _something_ to protect kids like that?”

“She's rich. It cuts through a lot of red tape.”

“So she has a little army of trained killers running around doing her bidding now?” It was a nauseating thought.

“Hardly. I don't think there are more than one or two now. There were only ever three that I knew of and one of them ran off. Also she doesn't make it a habit of regularly having people killed, you know. Most times an idle threat will get the job done.”

Laura poured the coffee into two mugs and set one down in front of Carmilla who ignored the sugar and milk to sip it black. Laura dumped a few heaping spoons of sugar and a generous helping of milk into her own.

“Why did the other person run off? Didn't like the job?” Why didn't they all run off?

“Nah, the opposite actually. I guess he liked the job a little _too_ much and left a bit of a body trail. It was bad publicity for mother and the word was she was going to have him dealt with when he up and vanished. She hasn't put much effort into finding him.”

“Who would like a job like that?”

Carmilla shrugged, staring into the depths of her coffee.

“Some people are sick. Like your killer, for instance. You never did tell me what you planned to do next?”

Laura sighed.

“That's because I'm not sure. I feel like I'm at a dead end.”

“What about Perry and finding out what she was doing at Mattie's house that night?” Carmilla was looking up again, meeting her eyes. She seemed to have relaxed a bit after changing the topic.

“But that's not really related to anything at all...” Laura trailed off. Corvae still could be involved in the murders and Perry was acting suspiciously. She couldn't for a minute believe that Perry was involved in any sort of crime, but maybe she knew something? “Could it be?”

“Well, she _is_ connected to Corvae now and acting suspiciously,” Carmilla said, echoing Laura's thoughts, “so it's probably at least worth looking into.”

“I guess I'll talk to Lafontaine then.” At least it was something to do.

The doorbell rang.

“Who the hell is awake and outside at this horrible hour?” Carmilla grumbled.

“Probably Perry and Laf. I bet they came over to check on me.” It was the only thing that made sense unless it was Danny. Laura was suddenly very aware of the fact she was only wearing a t-shirt and underwear. “Uhm, I'm going to run upstairs and put clothes on.” She hurried out of the room.

She came back down a few minutes later to hear voices coming from the front hallway. Crap. She sped down the hallway to the front door to find Carmilla, who had also only been wearing a tshirt and underwear, lounging against the doorframe with Perry and Laf on the front steps gaping at her.

“Laura, there you are!” Perry said, acting as if the half-naked woman in front of her simply did not exist. “We were worried when we saw you hadn't shoveled your driveway or walk. You're usually very prompt about that.”

“Pretty sure that's because they've been having sex for the entire blizzard,” Lafontaine said without batting an eye.

“Lafontaine!”

“Laf!”

Carmilla looked amused and shrugged. “Well, they're not _wrong_.”

“Oh my god,” Laura groaned. “You are not helping.”

This was the moment that Danny chose to pull her police jeep up in front of Laura's house. Laura tried to push Carmilla back inside the house.

“Go and put on more clothes, hurry!”

Carmilla resisted.

“Why? I want to say hello to Danny, too.”

“You can do that when you're wearing pants!”

But it was already too late, Danny was wading through the snow up Laura's front walk, waving cheerfully. She froze for half a second when she saw Carmilla but recovered quickly.

“Hi, uh, guys. How's the blizzard treating you?”

“I have no complaints,” Carmilla responded, looking smug.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Danny said, shooting a questioning look at Laura.

“Okay. That's it.” Laura was done with this. “Everyone who's staying come in, right now. And Carmilla, go put on some clothes. Now. Not optional.”

Carmilla gave a beleaguered sigh and wandered away back into the house no doubt it search of pants. Laura got Laf, Perry, and Danny into the kitchen and poured coffee for all of them.

“We brought you some fresh baked bread,” Perry said, handing it over to Laura.

“Yeah, JP is stress baking.” Laf added.

“Was Carmilla stuck here with you the entire time?” Danny asked.

Laura wondered if she should mention Vordenberg to Danny, but decided it was probably Carmilla's place to do so.

“Yeah, she was here for the whole blizzard, why?”

“The murderer made a move again, we think. During the storm.”

Perry paled.

“Is someone else dead?”

Danny shook her head. “No, they went after SJ this time, but she had Kirsch over and they got scared and ran off when they heard him in the house. Kirsch and SJ tried to track the intruder through the snow, but the blizzard was coming down too hard and they didn't feel safe.”

“What makes you think it was the murderer and not a burglar?” Lafontaine asked.

“Whoever is was had what looked like a tire iron. The power was out by then and SJ only saw a dark figure, so no help on the identity there.”

“That's why you wanted to know where Carmilla was?” Laura asked, offended for Carmilla's sake.

“Look, I didn't think she had anything to do with it, but I'd be remiss if I didn't at least ask.” Danny let out a long sigh. “We still have absolutely no leads and it's frustrating as hell.”

Carmilla came back into the kitchen wearing more clothing. She glanced around and rolled her eyes.

“Why is the kitchen full of gingers?”

“It's _my_ kitchen, you know,” Laura said.

Carmilla made a face and went to get herself more coffee.

“Anyway, Laura, we're reopening the Anglerfish in time for lunch today. I know it's short notice, but do you think you could swing a shift?” Lafontaine looked apologetic.

“Yeah, probably,” Laura agreed. It might give her the chance she needed to talk to Lafontaine alone. “I still need to shovel out at least the car but Carmilla has generously volunteered to help me with that.”

Carmilla choked on her coffee. “I what?”

Laura smirked at her. “You owe me. I did save your life and everything.”

“Wait, what did you save her life from?” Danny asked, bewildered.

“Uh, it's not important.”

“Carmilla probably got lost in the blizzard and almost froze to death,” Lafontaine said matter-o-factly. They looked up to meet Carmilla's infuriated stare. “What? Laura told me about how you fell in your own pond. Stands to reason.”

“You told her about that, cupcake?” Carmilla's voice sounded dangerous.

Laura smiled winningly. “Well, you have to admit it _was_ sort of funny.”

Carmilla's eyes narrowed.

“Anyway,” Laura continued, hurriedly. “Maybe everyone who isn't helping me shovel should leave now so I can get started and make it to work on time.”

It took a little while, but eventually Laura managed to shoo Laf and Perry out the door.

“Did you see my dad, Danny?” she asked once they were gone.

Danny nodded. “I was at the hospital earlier today. He's doing much better. He woke up and wants to see you as soon as it's safe to drive. Which I guess it is now.”

Laura felt a flood of relief. He was really going to be okay.

Danny stuck around for another cup of coffee, which caused Carmilla to become grumpily silent, brooding into her own coffee. Laura wished they could get along, but Danny _did_ keep suspecting Carmilla of crimes. Not that she was much better.

Once Danny finally left, Laura let out a deep relieved breath and started to clean up the coffee mugs from the kitchen counter.

“So,” Carmilla said from behind her. Laura turned around to face her and Carmilla moved up, putting hers hands on the counter on either side of Laura. “When you said shoveling before, you weren't really talking about shoveling, right?”

Laura used the coffee mugs she was holding to form a barrier between them.

“I meant we need to go outside and remove the snow from behind my car so I can back out into the street, yes.”

Carmilla sighed. “That doesn't sound like much fun. Are you sure that's what you _really_ meant?” She tried to lean in but was blocked with a coffee mug to the chest.

“Unfortunately, yes. If I have to go to work I need to be able to use my car.”

Carmilla backed off, finally. “Fiiiiiine.” She headed out of the kitchen.

“Hey, you're going to help, right? You know, it's partly your fault this didn't get done sooner.” Laura called after her.

Carmilla turned around, face innocent.

“But Laura, I almost froze to death and I got shot and ripped the stitches out of my grievous injury.”

“Oh my god, you are not serious.”

Carmilla just smiled and walked away.

/////////////////

Laura drove Carmilla to the hospital to pick up her car and so Laura could see her dad. Carmilla briefly considered going back in and getting the stitches redone, but it sounded time-consuming and annoying. She'd picked out most of the torn stitches with tweezers and scissors at Laura's house and bandaged up the wound as best she knew how. If it scarred, well, oh well. It would be a good conversation starter someday: the time she got shot while beating up a cop.

“Are you going to come by the Anglerfish later?” Laura asked as she pulled into the parking lot.

“Yeah, but it might be a little while. I'm going to go see if I can pry some information out of Mattie first.” She figured there was a giant list of things Mattie wasn't telling her.

“You question Mattie, I'll question Laf. We meet up later to compare notes.”

“Yeah.” Meeting up later sounded good.

“Wait,” Laura said as Carmilla reached for the door handle to let herself out. “One other thing.”

“Oh?” Carmilla felt a sinking sensation in her stomach; she was pretty sure she knew what the other thing was and had been hoping to avoid it for a little longer.

“About us...” Laura was staring at the steering wheel. “What happens now?”

Carmilla sighed. Yep, that was where she'd thought this was headed.

“We can continue having...whatever this is for the time being if you want.” It was a terrible idea, but lately she'd had a lot of those.

“You know that would make it worse if you left eventually,” Laura said, eyes still locked on the steering wheel.

“At least we'd enjoy ourselves for awhile.” It was such a bad idea. It was probably a worse idea than trying to find the pond in her backyard had been.

“That's not fair. To either of us.”

“Well, who the hell cares about fair?”

Laura finally turned to look at her with pained eyes.

“I do.”

Carmilla sighed again.

“It can be whatever you want it to be, cupcake. I'll leave that up to you.” She remembered when she'd called Laura her girlfriend when talking to Mel yesterday. It had been wishful thinking, but it had sure been nice to pretend for a few days.

“You can't put it all on me,” Laura said. She looked angry.

“Laura,” Carmilla said, carefully. “If I don't leave it to you, if I do what I want to do, it's going to end up hurting both of us. You're the one with common sense here.” And considering Laura's idea of fun was hunting a violent murderer, that was a bit scary.

“Oh.” Laura fell silent. “Well, I'll think about it.”

“Probably a good plan.” Carmilla reached for the door handle again but Laura stopped her once more by grabbing her arm and pulling on it. Carmilla had figured out what this meant by now and let herself be pulled over for a kiss. “This is how you think about it?”

Laura smiled. “It makes it seem so simple, even when it isn't.”

Carmilla nodded. “Yes, it does.” She pulled away, regretfully and made it out of the car this time. She watched from the safety of her own car as Laura made her way into the hospital.

After paying a truly hideous parking fee, Carmilla headed out across town towards Mattie's. She tried to focus on the upcoming conversation (and probable argument) she was going to have with Mattie instead of thinking about the mess her and Laura were making of themselves. The crisis where people were lying and being killed seemed a lot easier to handle than her love life.

She wondered if Vordenberg knew she was alive yet. It seemed unlikely since she'd been holed up at Laura's and no one but Lafontaine, Perry, and Danny had seen her so far. Would he try again when she and Mattie failed to leave town? There was no way Mattie was going to pull out just because Carmilla had been threatened. And even if she'd been so inclined, mother would never allow it. No, the real question here was what _would_ Mattie do about it, because while Carmilla's safety might not have been her top priority, the entire incident was an insult to Corvae and Mattie would never let that stand.

She pulled into Mattie's driveway, mind still buzzing with questions.

Mattie's bodyguard answered the door promptly, looked her up and down with a grunt and then let her in. She found Mattie going through paperwork in her living room.

“There you are,” Mattie said, looking up. “I was wondering where you'd gotten to.”

“There was a blizzard outside, in case you didn't notice. I was stuck inside for awhile.” Carmilla dropped down into a chair and put her feet up on a small coffee table. Mattie frowned at that, but didn't say anything.

“I had Piers stop by your house right when the snow started but he informed me you weren't at home. I was worried.” Piers must have been the grunting bodyguard, Carmilla surmised.

“I didn't say I was inside _my_ house for the blizzard.” Why were they talking about this? There were way more important matters at hand.

“You were with that girl, weren't you?” Mattie smirked. “Laura Hollis. You've gone and fallen for someone involved in the job again, haven't you?”

Carmilla groaned and leaned her head back.

“Listen, Mattie, that is completely irrelevant at the moment. Vordenberg tried to kill me as a warning to you.”

Mattie frowned and put down the papers she was holding. “Tell me.”

Carmilla gave her a condensed version of the story, leaving out the part where she'd woken up with a mostly-naked Laura lying on top of her. And all the parts after that.

“That was a bold move on his part,” Mattie said when she finished. “Bold but very foolish. Well, your mother has plans for dealing with him so don't fret.”

“Are these 'plans' going to end up with Vordenberg having his head smashed in?”

Mattie sighed. “Are you still on about that? I certainly don't do that sort of thing. Your mother has people for that, as you well know.”

“Yeah, but one of them could be here working for you, right?” Mattie liked dancing around the truth and Carmilla wouldn't put it past her to tell a half-lie.

Mattie stilled. “There is no one here working for your mother in that capacity to the best of my knowledge.”

Carmilla frowned. Mattie seemed to be telling the truth, but there was something else there, too. Mattie didn't seem particularly inclined to share, however.

“Also, Theo Straka, a police Lieutenant who works for Danny Lawrence shot Jack Hollis. Not fatally. He'll live.”

Mattie's eyebrows raised.

“My, things _have_ been busy.”

“They caught Theo and locked him up, last I heard. Also I beat the shit out of him in the police station parking lot.” She figured she'd casually slip that in there.

“You what?” Mattie didn't often look shocked.

“It wasn't a big deal. I mean, I got shot a bit, but it's fine. Not going to be any trouble over it, I think.” Carmilla was greatly enjoying the horrified expression on Mattie's face.

“This better not come back to haunt us,” Mattie managed at last. “Your little love affairs have a habit of getting in the way of business.”

“Hey, he also was a total dick to me when I got dragged down to the station for questioning before. It wasn't only about Laura Hollis.” It mostly was.

“Oh, he was _rude_ to you so you had to 'beat the shit out of him' as you put it. Yes, that makes complete sense, darling.” Sarcasm dripped from Mattie's words.

“Ugh, I was only telling you so you wouldn't be blind-sided by it. We don't need to have a whole discussion about it. There was something else I wanted to talk about.”

Mattie settled back in her seat. “Well, after everything you've dropped on me so far, I can't wait to hear this.”

“Lola Perry over at the Anglerfish, you've been meeting with her. Why?” Beating around the bush with Mattie never produced results. She had to go right for the throat.

“That,” Mattie said, coolly. “is none of your concern. It's a matter between myself, Lola Perry, and your mother.”

“Mother is involved in that, too?” What the hell was going on?

“Unlike you, I don't do things without approval from above.”

“Can you at least tell me if it's connected to the murders at all?” She knew she was fishing here, but she wanted something, anything, to take back to Laura.

“I think,” Mattie said, carefully, “that you should be on your way for now. I'll have more instructions for you soon. Until then, try to stay out of trouble and away from the police.”

It was a dismissal and Carmilla decided to take it gracefully.

“Okay, fine.” She stood up and headed back towards the door, glaring at Piers the bodyguard on the way out. He looked like he could hit someone pretty hard with a tire iron, she mused.

“Hey, Mattie?” She was almost to the door when she doubled back.

“Yes?”

“Do you think…would my mother ever actually let me leave?”

Mattie looked at her, not answering. Because they both already knew the answer to that question.

She headed back out the door to her car. Her immediate instinct was to run straight back to Laura and tell her all of the nothing she had learned, but first… She grimaced at the hole in her coat. First she needed to go shopping.

/////////////

The Anglerfish had been completely overrun with locals who were sick and tired of cooking for themselves after two days and Laura didn't have a free moment until it was almost closing time. They were down to a handful of customers, all in the booths, and all in the middle of their meals.

“One more order of fries, JP,” Laura said, wearily popping into the kitchen.

“Yes, Miss. Hollis. Coming right up.” JP looked particularly dejected. Laf had said he'd gotten stuck in the car driving back from the store during the blizzard and it had taken him over an hour to get home, poor guy.

“Don't worry, JP,” Laura said, kindly. “There probably won't be another blizzard like that for a month or two at least.”

JP sighed deeply; he'd never been a big fan of snow.

Laura found Lafontaine alone at the bar when she exited the kitchen. With Perry running errands down the street at the general store she knew she wasn't going to get a better time than now to talk to Laf.

“Hey, Laf? So, I wanted to tell you something, but I need you not to freak out, okay?”

Lafontaine put down the bottles they'd been rearranging.

“That's a hell of a way to start a conversation, Hollis. Basically guarantees your audience is worried before you even start talking.”

“I know, sorry.” Laura dropped her order pad on the bar, scanning the diner to make sure no one needed anything. Clearly Carmilla was wrong, she was an excellent waitress. “It's about Perry.”

“Oh boy.”

“Yeah, really. Listen, don't be mad, but I kind of followed her and JP the other night when they went out and...well, they went to Matska Belmonde's house.”

“You did what?” Lafontaine looked torn between being impressed and being outraged.

“I know! But you two have been fighting and sneaking around and I was worried about you.”

Lafontaine sighed. “Do you know what happened while she was there?” They looked tired.

“No clue. We...uh...I parked down the street.” Smooth. She didn't want Lafontaine to know Carmilla had been there, no need to give her friend a reason to dislike Carmilla.

“Thanks for telling me, I guess.” Lafontaine looked dejected.

“I, look, it's none of my business, but is something going on?” Laura blamed her college journalism training for being unable to keep herself from prying. It sounded better than being plain nosy.

“There's...I honestly don't know why Perry is talking to Mattie. It could be related to some of the other problems we've been having.” Lafontaine sighed. “I guess I should probably tell you. Hell, I should have told you weeks ago.”

Laura nodded encouragingly, afraid that if she said anything Lafontaine would stop.

“When we came here, you know that we were getting away from a bad situation, yeah? Perry's parents were...not ideal, and even out of college for years and with a new life they were hounding her constantly. And I wanted a fresh start somewhere. So we came somewhere small where no one would know us and we could have a simple, quiet life.”

Laura knew this story, already, but she didn't interrupt.

“But it wasn't that easy. We didn't have a huge amount of money, and we couldn't get a loan from a bank. We ended up taking out a loan from a person instead. The wrong person.”

Something clicked in the back of Laura's head. “Vordenberg. You guys took a loan from Vordenberg.”

“Yeah, big mistake there. The interest he charges is ridiculous, at this rate we're never going to pay him off.” They grimace. “We can keep up on the payments, but it's like we're not getting anywhere with paying off the principle. We're going to be stuck in debt to him for forever. And Perry and I were trying to tap into our own personal finances a little to try and get a leg up on it, but Perry started refusing to do that recently and won't tell me why.”

“You think it's related to Mattie?” Why would Perry be paying Mattie, though?

“I don't know. I guess it could be. I need to talk to her. Laura, you can't say anything about this to anyone, okay?” They were clearly very agitated.

“Of course not.” Except Carmilla, she thought, guiltily.

“We're not going to go out of business, or not be able to pay you, or anything, it's just a bit tough, sometimes.” Lafontaine looked apologetic.

“I'm sorry, Laf, he's a horrible old man.” She wondered if there was anything Carmilla could do to help. She had connections and plenty of reasons to hate Vordenberg.

Lafontaine fell into silence and seemed unwilling to talk about the matter for the rest of the time until the Anglerfish shut. Carmilla swept in the door a few minutes before closing.

“Nice coat,” Laura said, looking her over. Carmilla had gotten a new winter coat, black, unsurprisingly. She also had acquired black gloves and a black beanie and scarf.

“Thanks,” Carmilla said, looking slightly embarrassed. “Just in case, you know?”

Laura got JP to make Carmilla a last minute dinner, and Lafontaine was distracted enough to not care that she hung around to eat it.

“I found some stuff out, but we can't talk about it here,” Laura told Carmilla, leaning across the counter and speaking quietly.

“Same, or rather, I didn't find much out, but I have some suspicions.”

Lafontaine walked over near them and Laura quickly leaned back and raised her voice to a normal volume.

“You took a long time to get here,” she said to Carmilla. “Were you shopping all day?”

“No, I had to stop by the police station and make a report about the whole Theo mess.” Carmilla's mouth twisted in distaste.

“Oh, I heard about that,” Lafontaine said, their habitual grin back. “Nice job, Karnstein.”

“Thanks.” Carmilla smirked and looked pleased.

Laura and Carmilla left together a little while later, huddling in the parking lot to stay warm.

“Can we go over to your place to discuss this?” Laura asked, shivering.

“Uh, I'd rather go to yours.” Carmilla looked away.

“Oh, yeah, that's fine. My dad has to stay in the hospital for another few days anyway.”

Carmilla looked back, raising her eyebrows and smiling.

“Why whatever would we be up to that you wouldn't want your father around for?”

Laura squirmed a bit. “About that...” She'd been thinking about her and Carmilla's situation all day, in between worrying about Perry and Laf.

Carmilla turned to face her. “What about it?” Her tone was careful, neutral.

“It's a terrible idea.” There was a flicker of expression on Carmilla's face before it slammed back into neutrality. Laura hurried to continue. “But...” Laura sighed, her breath misting in the cold air. She looked down at her feet. “But if this is really going to be all the time we have together then maybe I'd rather enjoy it and face the consequences later.” She raised her eyes back up. “If you're alright with that?”

Carmilla's expression didn't change for a few seconds and Laura shifted nervously, then a small smile formed at the corner of Carmilla's lips.

“Yeah, I'm alright with that.”

“Okay.” Laura breathed out, feeling a little better. “Okay. Uh, let's head back to my place then?”

It took her completely by surprise when Carmilla stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly. She froze for a second and then quickly returned the hug.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, as Carmilla pulled back.

“Yeah, fine. I'll see you in a few?” Carmilla headed towards her car, with a half-wave.

Laura stood there and watched her, realizing that in the last few weeks Carmilla had been accused of various crimes, fallen into a freezing pond, been shot, threatened, almost froze to death, and yet tonight, that quickest flicker of expressions, was the first time Laura had ever seen her afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason this chapter did not want to be written. Hope it turned out okay.
> 
> Other things cut from the original outline: SJ was going to die. The body count in my original outline was ridiculous. I'm a terrible person. Also Danny and Betty were going to have a fling, which I'm sort of sad I cut, but it was one too many plot threads to deal with.
> 
> Updates every weekend.
> 
> My [tumblr](http://asleepinawell.tumblr.com/). I'm sadly stuck in the desert for the holidays this year so I'm reblogging a lot of pictures of snow because snow is great and I miss it.


	12. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla and Laura definitely totally absolutely get around to shoveling the damn front walk, Danny gets a tenuous lead, and Laura goes back to work where Laf and Perry are handling their issues like adults.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter, probably. There is a slight chance I split the last chapter. Questions answered and more questions posed, I think.

 

Sunlight filtering through the window woke Laura up the next morning. She shifted slightly, becoming aware that she was half-draped across Carmilla, head under her chin. Probably sensing she was awake, Carmilla ran her fingers through Laura's hair, lightly playing with it.

“How long have you been awake?” Laura asked, fighting the temptation to shut her eyes and drift back to sleep.

“Maybe half an hour,” Carmilla said. She sounded way more awake than Laura felt.

“You could have dumped me off and gotten up, you know.” She was glad she hadn't.

Carmilla shrugged, jostling Laura slightly.

“Nowhere better to be.” She stretched her arms up which dislodged Laura enough that she slid off her and curled on her side next to Carmilla. “Besides, it's nice to sleep in a real bed for a change.”

“You do have a real bed in your fancy house. Probably several.” Laura propped herself up on one elbow. She was thinking back to the mattress in the corner of the bedroom at Carmilla's house and how everything in the house had been virtually untouched.

“Hmm, I suppose I do.” Carmilla was smiling but her expression had gotten that distant look Laura was becoming used to seeing.

“So why don't you sleep on an actual bed there?” Because if Carmilla was going to keep being vague about it, Laura thought it her duty to ask outright.

Carmilla shook her head slightly, scoffing at the question.

“Don't make a big deal out of nothing, creampuff.”

Well, that only made her more curious. She poked Carmilla in the ribs.

“Tell me.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

“The house belongs to my mother, one of the first properties she bought here. And, it's stupid I know, but I didn't want to take anything from her that I didn't have to.”

“So you stay there but you act like it's not yours?” It made a certain kind of sense.

“More or less.”

“You totally use the jacuzzi tub, though.” Laura smirked.

“Well, it seemed criminal not to. There's morals and then there's amazing bathtubs.”

Laura laughed, sitting up in bed and looking at the clock on the nightstand to check the time. It was still early and she didn't need to worry about being at work til the afternoon again so there was no rush. Laura turned back to Carmilla, a thought occurring to her.

“Is that why you wanted to come over here instead last night?”

“I suppose.”

“So you'd rather...” Laura gestured at both of them and the bed in general to convey her point. “...in my dad's old bed than in your mom's bed?”

Carmilla's eyes, which had been drooping shut, shot wide open.

“I definitely had _not_ been thinking about it that way, so thanks for that, cupcake.”

Laura laughed again and climbed out of bed.

“We still need to compare notes,” she pointed out, looking around the floor for her clothes. Where had they ended up? Downstairs still, maybe? She looked back at the bed to find Carmilla sitting up in bed and openly running her eyes over her. “Uh, maybe after we put some clothes on and have coffee, though? I'm going to go get myself a change of clothes from my room.”

“Laura.” Carmilla called her back when she was almost out the door. “Is your dad doing better?” Carmilla looked slightly contrite as if she'd only remembered to ask. Laura hadn't really noticed and put both of their behavior down to extreme preoccupation with other matters.

“Yeah, he looked much better when I saw him yesterday. He was pretty impressed with the whole story about you taking down Theo, too. Though slightly confused as to why you'd care enough to do that.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“I said beats me, because that sounded better than 'I pushed her up against a car in your driveway'.”

Carmilla actually chuckled, her face lightening up a bit. “You know that's not why I did it, right? Not because you kissed me.”

Laura leaned against the doorframe, wanting to continue the conversation but also starting to become aware of how chilly the house was.

“So why did you, then?”

“Because I wanted to do something _for_ you.”

Laura frowned, not certain she understood the distinction at first, and feeling terrible about it because Carmilla looked so damned earnest, but okay, maybe she could see it. It didn't do anything for the small pang of annoyance she felt about that whole thing.

“Well, next time you want to do something for me, flowers or cookies would be great. I don't require concussed police officers as gifts.” She tried to sound playful, hoping to break out of wherever this conversation had ended up.

“Noted,” Carmilla said, with a half-grin, and the moment was past.

Laura hurried to her room, quite chilly now, and threw on the first clothes she found. Carmilla hadn't budged from the bed when she got back.

“Are you going to stay there all day?”

“I can't seem to find my clothes and it's cold.” Carmilla had pulled the blankets back up under her chin and looked ready to go back to sleep.

“Yeah, not sure where our clothes ended up, but you can grab some of mine from my room. Take whatever.”

Carmilla was out of bed in a flash, startling Laura.

“That was fast.”

“I just got permission to pry through your wardrobe, not passing up that chance.”

Seriously?

“Uh, have fun with that. I'm going to go make coffee.”

When Carmilla finally joined her in the kitchen she was wearing a pair of Laura's jeans and a plain blue top. Laura felt a guilty wave of relief. She had been convinced Carmilla was going to find something horribly embarrassing or scandalous to wear to mess with her even though she was mostly sure she didn't own anything matching those requirements. Mostly.

“You have the most boring clothing in the world,” Carmilla said by way of greeting.

Yeah, Laura thought, she'd totally been trying to find something to embarrass her with. Laura sighed.

“At least I have some color in my wardrobe. Is everything you own black?”

“I have a grey shirt somewhere,” Carmilla said, looking slightly offended.

Laura rolled her eyes and handed her a mug of coffee. Carmilla slid onto one of the stools and leaned her elbows on the counter, cupping the mug between her hands and gazing around the kitchen.

“That's almost pretty,” she said and Laura followed her gaze, confused.

“The frost on the windows?”

“Yeah, I like the patterns it made. How something so random and chaotic can make something that looks so planned.”

“Are you...are you actually enjoying an aspect of winter?”

Carmilla glared. “Only from inside a warm, dry house, cupcake. Don't get any ideas.”

Laura let it go. It wasn't like Carmilla could stay here even if she suddenly developed a deep appreciation for the cold.

“What did you find out from Mattie?” she asked, sliding onto a stool next to Carmilla instead of across from her. She matched Carmilla's pose, resting her left elbow barely up against Carmilla's right one.

“She's said mother had some way of 'dealing' with Vordenberg, which is bad news for him.”

“Uh, like killing him?” She didn't like Vordenberg, even less now when it was unsure how complicit he'd been in the attack on her dad, but she didn't want him dead.

“Doubt it. She doesn't kill people nearly as often as you give her credit for.”

“What about Perry meeting Mattie?”

“Well, Mattie didn't deny meeting with her, but she wouldn't tell me why, only that mother was involved in that someway as well, which doesn't bode well.”

“What would your mom want with Perry?” It made no sense.

“Nothing good.”

Laura pondered the implications of this while she added more sugar to her coffee. Could Perry have known Mattie or Carmilla's mother from her life before Silas? It didn't seem likely, but she wasn't ruling out anything at this point. Carmilla nudged her.

“Your turn. What did the slightly less rude ginger have to say?”

“They didn't know anything about Perry meeting with Mattie, but I guess they're in debt to Vordenberg and are having trouble paying it off. And Perry hasn't been as good about contributing to the debt lately.”

“Hmmm.” Carmilla was scowling at her coffee.

“What? Did that give you an idea?”

“No...it's nothing.”

Laura let out a groan and dropped her head into her hands.

“We have nothing to go on. Still. I suck at this.”

Carmilla patted her on the arm.

“Think of it this way, the police are at least as bad as you at this, if not worse.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Carmilla sipped some more of her coffee. “By the way, I'm not sure when your dad is coming home but you should probably get our clothes out of the entrance hallway before he does.”

“Oh god, is that where they ended up?” It made sense now that she thought back on the previous night. Well, oops.

“If I recall, you took your coat off and just kept going.”

“Maybe you can get off your lazy butt and pick up our clothes while I finally go shovel the walk. Which is probably frozen solid now, thanks.”

“That's half your fault, creampuff.”

Laura tried to look stern.

“Fine, I'll help with the front walk.” Carmilla grumbled into her coffee.

It hadn't been what Laura had asked, but she didn't bring that up in case Carmilla changed her mind.

They finished their coffee and moved to the hallway to sort through the clothes there and find their coats.

“Carm, do you think you could do me a favor?” She'd been waiting for a good time to ask, but this thing they had was so tenuous and uncertain that she'd decided to ask sooner rather than later.

“I thought I did you a couple already.” Carmilla was smirking again and Laura smacked her on the arm that she hadn't been shot in.

“No, not that type of favor, you pervert. I wanted to have a meeting with Mattie.”

Carmilla froze and her face twisted back into its habitual scowl.

“I don't think that's a good idea, Laura.”

“Why not?” Carmilla was trying to protect her again. Laura tried to hold her annoyance down.

“Why do you want to meet with her in the first place?” Carmilla sounded like she was trying to be reasonable about it and that made Laura even more annoyed.

“If she's going after Vordenberg I was wondering if she could do something about getting him to lay off on Laf and Perry's debt while she's at it.” It was a long shot, but Laura felt she owed it to her friends to at least try.

“Mattie's not much of one for favors.” Carmilla said, dryly.

“That's why I need to talk to her, maybe I can strike a deal.”

Carmilla shook her head emphatically and took Laura by the arms.

“Laura, no. Making a deal with Mattie or mother is like stepping into a spider's web. You'd only be getting yourself in trouble and probably not helping your friends.”

Laura shook Carmilla's hands off.

“I don't need you to protect me; I'm capable of making decisions on my own. And I want to at least explore this option.” She could feel her own face matching Carmilla's scowl.

Carmilla ran her hand through her hair in frustration.

“Laura, I'm not going to stop you from throwing yourself off a cliff, but I'm not going to help you do it, either.”

“You think I'm too naive to know what's best for myself, though!” Laura wasn't sure why she was almost shouting now, but maybe it had been a growing irritation she hadn't even realized. Carmilla going after Theo without telling her, telling her to get out of the cold when she was the one freezing to death, not wanting her to continue looking into the murders. And now this. “You keep trying to make decisions for me!”

“Hey!” Carmilla grabbed her arms and pushed her back against the wall of the hallway, causing Laura to drop all the clothing she'd been holding. “Calm down.”

Laura pushed against Carmilla's grip but found herself unable to move. It was easy to forget how strong Carmilla was with her lazy demeanor. She settled for glaring at her.

“Now, listen.” Carmilla sounded angry now, too. “I'm going to go and ask Mattie for you. And not because I think you're naive, or that you're in over your head, but because there's a much better chance of her doing it if I ask. I know how to deal with her. Okay?”

“Fine! But you didn't want me to look into the murders at all, and you went off and dealt with Theo without even talking to me first. You've got to stop making decisions for me!” She shoved at Carmilla's arms again, but they weren't budging. “You can't deny you did any of that.”

“Of course I did those things! I don't want to lose you any sooner than I have to!”

Laura's breath caught for a moment, but she shook her head.

“You don't get to decide that. You've got to stop trying to protect me!”

“Fine! We'll see how well that goes for you!”

“Fine!”

They glared at each other. And then Carmilla leaned in and Laura met her halfway and they were kissing almost savagely.

“You're picking up all the clothes in the hall later,” Laura said, pulling back and fumbling with the top of Carmilla's jeans.

“We're never going to shovel your front walk, are we?” Carmilla asked, working on the buttons on Laura's shirt.

“Shut up.”

///////////////

Danny was feeling very pleased with herself. After weeks of what felt like futile exertion with no reward it was a great feeling.

“He's really going to flip on Vordenberg?” Mel looked slightly offended, as if Theo's continued lack of moral fiber was still somehow surprising to her.

“He's willing to make a deal to save his own neck.” Danny wasn't surprised at all. She'd had Theo pegged as self-serving since day one. Vordenberg really needed to get better minions. She cracked her neck and rubbed the back of it as she leaned against the wall of her office, because she'd be damned if she sat down in that terrible chair ever again.

“Well, what does he have on him?” Mel was leaning against the opposite wall, probably also sick of the station chairs. She'd been being almost civil to Danny since the whole getting shot thing.

“He hasn't given his full testimony yet, but he says he can pin Vordenberg to several shady business deals in Silas, giving kickbacks and rewards in exchange for a promise to vote for him, and also that Vordenberg told him to take out Jack Hollis.”

The last one was the one she was most excited about, but probably also the hardest to prove.

“Damn. Vordenberg did that? Why?”

“I think Jack Hollis was involved in routing out his last police informant back in the day and Vordenberg decided to deal with the problem more directly this time.”

“Damn,” Mel said again.

“We're lucky his taste in hired help sucks.”

Mel nodded and leaned her head back against the wall, lost in thought. Danny didn't say anything either and they both stayed standing there chasing their own thoughts for awhile.

“It's really quiet here without everyone,” Mel said at last.

Danny nodded in agreement. Kirsch was staying with SJ to make sure the invader from the blizzard didn't come back, and Betty was out carrying-on with the neighborhood canvasing they'd been continuing to do despite how every day it seemed more useless.

“Do you think Vordenberg could be connected to the murders?” Mel asked.

Danny sighed and shook her head.

“Honestly, my guy instinct says no. Especially since it's pretty clear that it's related to Corvae land deals now.”

“It is?” Mel looked perplexed. “I think I missed out on this piece of news, Chief.”

“Yeah, it suddenly seemed so obvious after the thing with SJ. What did all the victims have in common? We know from questioning Ms. Belmonde that Natalie was meeting with her to sell her property to Corvae, and I'd be shocked if that wasn't why Karnstein was meeting with Ms. Barnes. I don't think anyone met with SJ yet, but everyone in town knows she got a ton of land from her parents.”

“But why would they want to kill Natalie if she was going to sell?”

Danny sighed in frustration. “That's the part that doesn't make sense. I thought at first Belmonde was making it up, but she had paperwork with Natalie's signature on it. The basement team seems convinced it wasn't forged.”

“It's almost like someone wants to make Corvae look bad,” Mel said, tapping her fingers against her arm.

“That's not a bad thought,” Danny said, impressed. “But who?”

“Vordenberg is the obvious choice.”

“Yeah, but it doesn't feel like his style, somehow.”

“He _did_ have Theo shoot Jack Hollis.” Mel finally gave up on standing and dropped reluctantly into a chair.

“Yeah, but we know Theo didn't kill Natalie or Ms. Barnes and he was in jail when SJ's house was broken into.”

“What about his bodyguard thugs?”

Danny was pleased with how much more focused Mel was without Theo around to compete with. She moved over to sit on the edge of her desk. If she had to sit, it wasn't going to be in that damned chair.

“I checked up on them, actually. One of them is new and he only brought into town after Natalie's murder. The other one was seen in Vordenberg's house by multiple members of his staff around the time Natalie was killed.”

“We're missing something, still.” Mel sounded frustrated.

“Chief?” Betty appeared in the doorway, her face red from having been out in the cold. “I've got something, it's not much, but maybe it will help.”

Danny perked up. She'd take anything at this point.

“What is it, Deputy?”

“Uh, Mr. Forester who lives on Pembelton Dr. remembers seeing someone the night of Natalie's death about ten, fifteen minutes before the murder. A figure carrying a tree branch or something, he said.”

“How does he remember that after all this time?” Mel asked, disbelieving.

“Whoever it was cut across his backyard. I guess it's a shortcut over to Primrose Place and he gets mad when people cut across. He keeps a log of everyone who does so he can file a complaint.”

“That's...slightly crazy. But I'll take it.”

Betty nodded. “Good, because he's going to stop by later to file his complaint.”

Danny sighed. “Oh good.” She waved this away. “Let's see here.” She pulled a map of Silas out from the mess on her desk. “Where's his house at?” Betty pointed it out. “Okay, and Natalie's is here. So if our perp was using that as a shortcut they were coming from this area over here. What's over here?”

“Well,” Mel said, “for one thing, that's the neighborhood Matska Belmonde lives in.” She glanced up at Danny. “Did she have an alibi for that night?”

Danny had a hard time picturing Matska Belmonde creeping through dark yards in the middle of the night and this piece of evidence was so vague it was basically useless, but….

“She said she did but refused to say what it was unless it became a necessity.” Danny had let it go because she hadn't had any reason to suspect Belmonde of anything other than being a slimy business person.

“Maybe we should go talk to her again,” Mel said.

“Yeah,” Danny agreed, slowly. “That might not be a bad idea.”

///////////////

Laura almost made it to work on time. Perry was no where to be seen and she let out a relieved breath when JP was the only one to greet her in the kitchen. As per usual he was fussing over something on the stove but turned around to smile when she came in.

“Hey, JP. You feeling any better today?” He and Carmilla should really get together and have a snow hate-party, Laura thought.

“Yes, much better. Thank you, Miss. Hollis. Did you see your father today?”

Laura nodded enthusiastically as she pulled her gloves and scarf off and scraped the snow from her boots.

“Yeah, I stopped by the hospital right before I came over. They want to keep him two more days, just to 'be sure'.” She twisted her mouth. “Don't really know _what_ they want to be sure of, but I'm not going to argue with doctors.” Plus it potentially meant another two days of Carmilla to herself in the house. She sort of hated herself for thinking that. “He's definitely doing better, though. Demanded I bring him a whole bunch of stuff from home because he's bored so I'm going to run and do that on my break if Laf is okay with it taking a little longer.”

“I'm sure it won't be a problem,” JP said, “though they've seemed a bit out of sorts today.”

“I can imagine,” Laura said, more to herself.

JP looked at her curiously. “Do you know what's upset them?”

“Uh, of course not.” Laura suddenly became very interested in looking at some pans hanging on a rack. “I should get out there and take over from Laf.” She beat a hasty retreat into the main room of the diner. Laf was coming back from a table and nodded in greeting when they saw her.

“Sorry I was running a little late, I had to see my dad before I came in,” Laura explained, dropping her coat and winter gear onto her chair next to the kitchen door.

“You went and saw your dad like that?” Laf asked, grinning suddenly.

Laura glanced down at her outfit, which seemed pretty normal to her.

“Like what?”

“Uh, ahem.” Laf cleared their throat meaningfully and tapped the side of their neck. “You got a little something right there.”

Laura turned to look in the mirror they had up on the wall behind the bar and felt her face flush scarlet. She slapped a hand to her neck.

“Oh god, I hope he didn't notice.”

“You'd better hope they had him on all the drugs,” Laf said, leaning against the bar. “because it looks like you got mauled.”

“I am going to kill her,” Laura grumbled, flopping down onto a chair.

“I take it that's the work of your new gal pal, huh?” Laf asked, still looking amused. At least Laura's discomfort seemed to have put them in a better mood.

“Gal pal, seriously?”

“I was going to say fuck buddy but it lacked gravitas. Where is Ms. Neck-biter anyway?”

Laura sighed, adding 'spending some time with her make-up' to the list of things she needed to do during her break.

“She went back to her house to get some stuff. She hasn't been back in a few days and my clothes aren't really her style.”

“Hasn't been back in a few days? I bet.”

“Are you ever going to stop finding this amusing?”

“Probably not.”

Laura got up from the chair to look out into the restaurant.

“Everything's under control for the moment,” Lafontaine assured her. “The couple at table 5 may need a refill on drinks soon, and JP is working on the sandwiches for 7 right now.”

“Got it.”

“Hey, at least you're in a better mood for the last few days.”

Laura turned to glare at them. “That's not because…I mean...”

Lafontaine raised their eyebrows.

“I'm just...I'm really happy, Laf.” The words sounded sort of sad and pathetic when they came out though, because while she was happy, it wasn't going to last.

“In my experience that is not what happiness sounds like.”

“It's complicated, with Corvae, and the murders, and, well, life.”

“Tell me about it.” They looked glum. Laura winced, sympathetically.

“Did you get a chance to talk to Perry?”

“Oh yeah, that went swimmingly.”

Laura nodded. “I saw she's not here right now.”

“She kind of stormed out after accusing me of spying on her. That was three hours ago.” They picked up an already clean glass and started polishing it, dejectedly.

“Sorry about that.” It didn't seem fair, since Laura had been the one spying.

“Not your fault, Hollis. I mean, yes, you did spy on her when it was none of your business, but you didn't make her go to Mattie's house and you didn't make me confront her.”

“Did she say anything about why she was there?” It probably was the wrong time to be fishing for facts, but Laura couldn't help herself.

“Negative. Yelled a lot and then stormed out in a huff. I'm not sure where she went since she can't drive.”

“I'm sure she'll turn up soon, I mean where else could she go?”

Laura saw one of the customers waving her down and hurried over to help them. When she finished getting drink refills for them, she returned to lean on the bar next to Lafontaine.

“Oh, I have to take a slightly longer break today, if that's okay? I need to run some stuff over to my dad at the hospital.”

Lafontaine nodded, still distracted.

“That's fine with me. Perr and I stopped by last night right at the end of visitor hours and he seemed a lot better.”

Laura fought down another brief wave of guilt that she hadn't been there with them, but she _had_ seen him earlier yesterday. The fact that she and Carmilla had probably been putting the kitchen counter to uses it was not originally intended for right around that time wasn't helping with the guilt factor though.

“Earth to Laura?” Lafontaine was waving their hand in front of her face. “Wherever you went just now must have been nice, the look on your face...”

“ _Anyway_. I'll try not to take too long at the hospital. Thanks for letting me go.”

“Sure thing, Hollis. Try not to get any more neck injuries on the way.”

////////////////

Carmilla looked around the bedroom which was not really hers in the house which wasn't really hers. After staying at Laura's the last few days this place seemed empty and even less inviting. The stack of books was the only thing here she'd miss if the whole place burned down.

She wondered if she could take them back with her to Laura's. Would that be too presumptuous?

It was a bad idea.

Once everything here was settled in whatever way that happened she had to leave and the less tangled she let her life become with Laura's the easier that would be.

She dumped her jacket and Laura's coat onto the bare mattress of the bed. They'd been in the back of her car since she'd gotten a replacement coat. She'd have to make sure to take the coat somewhere to get fixed and get it back to Laura soon. She didn't want to leave any loose ends when this was over.

She sighed and sank down to sit on the floor with her back up against the side of the bed, looking over the small amount of possessions she had spread out over the floor. That was all she had to show for her life.

She reached up behind her and dragged Laura's coat off the bed and into her lap, allowing herself the luxury of burying her face in it here in the privacy of the empty house. Despite everything that had happened it still smelled faintly like Laura's house. Carmilla wondered if maybe she couldn't hold onto it when she left.

“I'm sorry,” she said, voice muffled by the coat.

And she was. Because when it came time, she was going to leave. And the only way that was going to happen is if she left without saying goodbye, because if Laura asked her to stay she wasn't sure she'd be able to say no.

“I'm so, so sorry.”

She stayed there for a long time.

////////////

“If Carmilla shows up can you tell her I'll be right back?” Laura asked Lafontaine as she pulled her coat on. Dinner rush had ended a few minutes earlier and Laura wanted to hurry to make it home and then to the hospital and back. “She said she would meet me here later but she didn't say exactly when.”

Lafontaine nodded. They'd been going in and out of their gloomy mood all day and Laura was honestly relieved for a break from it.

“I mean at least if she's here I'll know you're not getting held up for recreational reasons,” Laf said, though their heart didn't sound in it.

“I'm going to go see my _dad_ , not...you know.”

“That's why I like you, Hollis. You've spent half a week or so sleeping with Carmilla and you still have to resort to 'you know' to talk about it.”

“Ugh, hush.” She pulled her beanie on, angrily, and pushed through the door into the kitchen. “Later, Laf! Later, JP!”

She trudged across the parking lot, careful to watch for ice in the rapidly fading light. Maybe she could call Carmilla, see if she could divert her back to her house for a few minutes. She reached into her pocket but her cellphone wasn't there. Must have left it under the bar, she figured, frowning.

She paused as she approached her car; something looked wrong. The car looked slightly uneven, off-kilter. A quick examination showed the culprit: her back left tire was deflated.

That was odd, she didn't remember having run over anything on the way here. But maybe there'd been a small puncture and the air had escaped over the course of her shift. She groaned and headed back inside.

“...let's just get back to work, shall we?” Perry was standing in the kitchen talking to a very contrite-looking Lafontaine. JP was huddled by the stove, watching. They all glanced up when Laura entered.

“Uh, hey, Laur, I thought you were headed to the hospital?” Lafontaine said, apparently eager for the distraction.

“My back tire is flat, my car isn't going anywhere. I thought I'd call Carmilla and see if she can give me a lift.”

“There's no need, Miss. Hollis,” JP pipped up. “I can drive you.” He paused, looking at Perry, uncertainly. “That is, if it's alright with Miss. Perry.”

Perry deflated a bit.

“Of course, I don't want to keep Laura from seeing her father. I can take over for you for an hour, JP. You probably haven't had a break all day.”

JP wasted no time in putting on his coat and following Laura out into the parking lot.

“I have been unable to leave all day,” he explained when Laura tried to thank him, “so I'm afraid my motives are somewhat selfish.”

“Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad.”

/////////////

Laura wasn't at the Anglerfish when Carmilla arrived so she settled for glaring at the short-haired ginger minding the bar.

“Where's Laura?”

“Uh, nice to see you, too,” Lafontaine said, raising an eyebrow.

Carmilla looked at them expectantly.

“She had to run home and take some stuff to her dad at the hospital. She told me to tell you to wait here for her.”

Carmilla groaned in exasperation but cut herself off mid-groan to look up in confusion.

“Her car is still in the lot.” She'd seen it when she'd pulled in.

“Oh, yeah, I guess she had a flat tire. JP drove her.”

“The chef-chauffeur? Don't you need him here to cook that stuff you call food?”

Lafontaine looked like someone who was rapidly losing patience with the world.

“Perry was the original cook here when we started up, she's more than capable of handling the kitchen.”

“Huh, angry ginger has some talent other than shouting a lot. Who knew?”

“Don't say that about Perry!” They looked mad now.

“Lafontaine, does it look like we're getting...” Perry paused in the doorway of the kitchen, taking in the scene before her. “Oh, it's you. Laura's little friend. How nice.” Her tone implied it was anything but nice.

“That's me. Nice.” Why was she enduring this?

“Well, at least Laura got you back,” Lafontaine said, looking anywhere but at Perry.

“Pardon?” What was the ginger going on about now?

Lafontaine pointed to their own neck and raised their eyebrows knowingly. Carmilla raised a hand to her neck and then smirked and shrugged.

“Well, I like to repay a favor from a lady.”

Lafontaine snorted and Perry looked between them, clearly uncomfortable, and then turned and went back in the kitchen without another word. Lafontaine slumped in relief and Carmilla realized that the exchange had been aimed at getting Perry to leave. They must have spoken to her about the whole Mattie thing.

The front door opened and Danny Lawrence and the blond deputy whose name Carmilla kept forgetting came in, looking cold.

“Is Perry here?” Danny asked without preamble.

Lafontaine nodded. “Yeah, what's up?”

Danny took her gloves off and set them on the bar. “I need to talk to her, right now if possible.”

Lafontaine disappeared back into the kitchen and Danny glanced over at Carmilla.

“Karnstein.”

“Are there any crimes I've committed today that I should be aware of?” Laura might be the best thing to have happened to her, but her friends were a different matter. The blond deputy glared.

“I'll let you know if I find any,” Danny responded back without missing a beat.

“What's this all about, Danny?” Perry asked, coming out of the kitchen with Lafontaine trailing gingerly behind them.

“I just got back from talking to Matska Belmonde.”

Carmilla felt herself stiffen and saw both gingers react the same way. Yeah, maybe she could feel a little bad for Danny; everyone here was either not guilty enough or too guilty.

“We were trying to nail down her alibi for the night of Natalie's murder,” Danny continued. “Betty here found some new evidence that made us need to get a clearer answer from her.”

“Oh?” Perry's eyes were very wide and Carmilla thought she was her hands shaking slightly. Her face was perfectly expressionless though.

“Yeah, and funny story, she told us that you were her alibi for the time of the murder that night, but she wouldn't tell us why.”

“Me? What would I have to do with this Belmonde lady?” Perry gave a nervous laugh.

“Perr,” Lafontaine said softly from behind her.

Perry turned to look at them, her face crumbling a little.

“Lafontaine, I can't.”

“Can't what, Perry? Why won't you tell me anything? The police are here now! This is really serious stuff.” Lafontaine looked so devastated that Carmilla almost let herself feel a flash of pity for them.

“I...I was at her house,” Perry said, at last. She looked up at Danny, angry. “But I'm not telling you anything more than that. I was there at the time of the murder and so was Ms. Belmonde and her bodyguard. That's all you need to know.”

Danny sank down onto a bar stool and let out a sigh.

“Why is no one willing to tell me anything? You guys do know I'm trying to catch a murderer, right? I've got little ms snark over here who won't tell me why she was meeting with one murder victim.” Carmilla sniffed indignantly. “And now you won't tell me why you were meeting with a potential suspect. My job is hard enough without this bullshit.”

Perry's expression didn't change and Carmilla figured there was no way they were getting anything more out of her. A shame. For a moment there it had seemed like they might finally sort out one part of this mystery. At least Mattie seemed to be in the clear.

“How long were you there, can I know that at least?” Danny asked.

Perry shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

“I got there maybe ten or fifteen minutes after eight. We were supposed to meet at eight but I was running late. I was there for almost exactly an hour.”

“Were you and Belmonde...you know...” Danny asked, looking intensely awkward.

“Why is no one capable of just saying 'having sex'?” Lafontaine wondered aloud.

“We were most certainly not!” Perry said, outraged. “It was a business meeting.”

“What type of business?” Danny pressed.

Perry pressed her lips together.

“I've already told you as much as I'm going to. I was there from eight ten to nine ten and we came straight back here after.”

Danny's head snapped up.

“We?”

Perry frowned and nodded. “Well, of course, JP had to drive me. I don't have a license.”

“Oh, right, JP,” Danny said, sighing again.

“You know, I've been in here almost every day since I got here and I still haven't seen this JP guy, other than as a disappearing blur of his back once.” Carmilla commented to no one in particular.

“He's very shy,” Lafontaine said. “Doesn't like going out much.” They reached up to the shelf over the bar and pulled something off of it. Perry made a strangled noise and started forward, but Lafontaine didn't notice them.

“See that's all of us last Christmas,” they said, handing a photograph to Carmilla.

Carmilla took it but didn't look at it immediately, watching instead as Perry turned white as a sheet and backed away with her hand over her mouth.

“Are you okay, Perr?” Lafontaine asked, turning to see what Carmilla was looking at. They moved to comfort their friend.

Carmilla shook her head at them and looked down at the picture Lafontaine had handed her. They were all wearing santa hats, standing in front of a Christmas tree in some room Carmilla didn't recognize, Perry, Lafontaine, and…. Carmilla froze.

“This is JP?” she asked, dropping the picture on the bar top and looking back towards Lafontaine. Her heart was racing, thoughts spinning. There were a thousands ways this didn't make sense, but none of that was important right now.

Lafontaine was still busy with Perry, but Danny leaned over and nodded.

“Yeah, why?”

Carmilla stood up without another word and ran out of the bar as fast as she could.

She glanced at Laura's car as she raced by it. The flat tire made a terrible sort of sense now.

“Laura,” she said aloud as she threw the car in reverse and backed out as fast as she could, “please be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Props to commentor 'tailog' who seemed to have figured it out from the rather big hint last chapter. Still a lot of questions to be answered, but most of the pieces are there if you look for them.
> 
> I hate leaving things on a cliff-hanger, and I had originally planned to have the last chapter written already, but then the carmilla extras dropped and ruined my schedule. The chapter is basically written in my head though, so I just need to find a few hours to type it up. Would people rather have it Christmas day, or the day after since I know people are busy on Christmas?
> 
> Fun fact: Apparently Oymyakon, Russia is the coldest city in the world, with winter temperatures of -50C (-58F). I looked up pictures of it and dear god, no. This doesn't have anything to do with the story, just sharing the random knowledge I have acquired while writing it.


	13. A Light Fall of Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The showdown and the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is, the final chapter. It's a good 10k words which I thought about splitting into two, but I decided to keep it together. Enjoy.

 

“I'll only be about five, ten minutes,” Laura promised JP when he said he'd wait in the car. She tried to walk in the footprints that already existed on the unshoveled walk, her feet crunching on the crust of ice forming on the surface. How had they still not managed to shovel the walk?

Inside she quickly dropped her coat, scarf, gloves and hat by the door, going over in her mind what her father had asked her to bring by: mystery novel on his nightstand, favorite sweater which was probably in the living room, a couple other odds and ends, and his spare cane since his main one and everything else in his car were in police evidence at the moment and he held the hospital ones in disdain. He'd been surprisingly eager to be up and about, like getting shot had given him a renewed purpose in life.

The book was right on the nightstand where he'd said it would be. She paused for a minute, holding the book thoughtfully. Her dad had started reading a lot more after his injury and now his whole room was covered in stacks of books. She thought Carmilla might have a lot to talk to him about. Would they even get along? They'd done alright that one night Carmilla had been here (the night she'd kissed Carmilla) up until Laura had brought up the whole Corvae thing, but Carmilla had been on her best behavior. How would he deal with her when she wasn't acting so well-behaved? Did Carmilla actually like him?

She shook herself and tried to refocus. She was on a schedule here, and anyway if what was happening with Carmilla was really only going to be temporary then it didn't matter did it? She headed out of his room to find the rest of the things he'd asked for.

Laura was digging through the blankets and clothes that seemed to be all over the living room (she made a mental note to herself to thoroughly clean the house before her dad got home) when she looked up, feeling another presence in the room. JP was leaning, casually, against the entrance to the room, a strange look on his face. Something about him looked odd, his posture and expression didn't fit the JP that she was used to.

“Hey, did it get too cold in the car?” she asked, tossing aside a button-down shirt that seemed to now be missing some buttons. Carmilla had a lot to answer for. Unless that was Carmilla's shirt. “That's why I told you to come in.”

“I had to get something out of the car, first,” JP said. His voice sounded different, too, and it took Laura a second to understand why: his accent was gone.

“Uh, okay.” Laura had stopped looking for her dad's sweatshirt and was watching him now. What was up with him today?

He raised one arm and let the iron pole he was holding in it smack into the open palm of his other hand. Laura felt her eyes widening as she watched it.

“JP? What's going on?” She felt nervous, but that was all wrong. This was JP, after all, she'd never even heard him raise his voice.

“You're pretty slow, huh? I guess it's not a surprise you couldn't get a job at the shitty local paper.”

Laura stood up, not looking away. Her eyes flickered back and forth between his eyes and the tire iron he was tapping on his palm. There was a possible reason for this that was skittering around the edges of her mind, but it was too incredible to give any real credence to.

“Are you trying to play some sort of joke, JP?” she asked, trying to glance around herself subtly. She was over near the fireplace and the pokers were all in there little stand near her left foot. “Because, okay, haha, you got me.”

JP smirked, his eyes cold, and Laura swallowed heavily, understanding that no, this really wasn't a joke.

“Sooo, you're, uh, you, uh...” She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. Her brain was still having difficulty processing everything that was happening. Why would JP kill anyone? What would it gain him?

“I'm the notorious murderer of Silas, yes.” He seemed to find this very funny, chuckling slightly at himself. “All this time you've been running around playing at being a detective and I've been one room away laughing at you.” He pushed off the doorway and took another step into the room.

“Well, that's...uh...that's….” Laura wrapped her fingers around the top of one of the fireplace pokers. “I'm just gonna go and...uh...not be in this room anymore then...”

JP was moving around the couch towards her now, still smiling in that creepy way that sent chills down her spine. “I'm going to enjoy this.”

The second JP cleared the side of the couch, Laura yanked the poker free from its stand and swung it at his head as hard as she could one-handed. Or that was the plan. The hook on the side of the poker caught on the stand for half a second, slowing it down just enough that JP had time to raise his arm defensively and the poker hit that instead.

“Ow! What the...” JP leaned over clutching his arm and Laura ran past him as fast as she could and out into the hallway.

If she'd been thinking she might have run outside, tried to make it to a neighbor's house, but she was panicking and her first instinct was to get somewhere she felt safe. Which is why she chose to run up the stairs to the second floor and into her room, slamming the door behind her and locking it.

She could hear footsteps on the stairs and looked around her room, trying to find something to push in front of the door. All the furniture was too heavy to shift easily and too far from the door. Her desk chair would never fit under the door handle either. The second floor was too high to jump from safely, and even if she'd been willing to risk breaking her legs, her window had been jammed shut for years. She realized she'd essentially trapped herself with no escape route and felt her panic rising even further.

She wished she at least had the pepper spray she kept in her car glove compartment, but her car was in the parking lot of the Anglerfish, which might as well have been on the moon for all it helped her. She reached instinctively for her cellphone, but remembered she'd forgotten it under the bar earlier.

The door handle jiggled a bit and Laura backed away from it, clutching the poker she'd brought with her.

“Laura, let me in,” JP called. “There's only one way this is going to end so you might as well just accept that and stop this nonsense.”

“You're not getting through that door,” Laura yelled back, trying to sound more certain than she felt. “And if you do, you're going to get an iron poker to the face!” The poker felt slippery in her sweaty hands.

JP only laughed again. A minute later the door shuddered and Laura jumped back. He was trying to break it down.

She wiped her palms on her jeans and took a deep breath to steady herself.

///////////////

Carmilla's car almost skidded out taking the turn. She was immensely grateful for the winter tires she'd had put on her car, since it was clearly the only thing keeping her car on the road. The tires Laura had made her get. Laura. She bit her bottom lip, hard, trying to keep herself from panicking. She needed to focus right now.

It was probably a good thing Silas had such a small police force and that they were all pretty distracted right now, she thought, as she swerved to avoid hitting a man crossing the street. She had run one of the only traffic lights in town and blown through about four stop signs. And it still didn't seem fast enough.

Her car skidded to a stop outside Laura's house, and she basically fell out of it, leaving it parked sideways in the road with the door wide open. A car she thought she'd seen at the Anglerfish before was parked near the curb, empty. The feeling of panic in her gut increased at the sight.

She almost wiped out completely on the icy front walk, wishing that somehow they'd taken the time to shovel the damn thing. She paused for a moment at the front door, listening, Nothing. She tried the door handle and it opened easily under her touch. She stepped inside, quietly, pulling her baton out of her pocket and flicking it open. She didn't plan to be caught unprepared.

There was a crashing noise coming from further in the house and she almost bolted towards it out of sheer rage-driven instinct, but she caught herself, made herself take deep breaths to calm down, stay focused and detached. Getting over-emotionally worked up right now was not going to help anything. She started forward into the house trying to stay as quiet as possible while still moving swiftly. The crashing was coming from upstairs.

The stairs were carpeted making it easy to mask her footfalls. She paused slightly below the top stair and peered around the corner of the landing. At the end of the hall, the man who called himself JP was throwing his full weight behind his shoulder as he slammed sideways into the door to Laura's bedroom. Carmilla allowed herself a quiet breath of relief; Laura was still alive. She hadn't let herself think otherwise, but the concern had been there in the back of her mind since she'd seen the picture in the bar.

The door crashed open and Carmilla heard a startled yelp that sounded like Laura. She gave up on being quiet and scrabbled up the last steps as quickly as she could, heading down the hall. Everything seemed to slow down. There was a sound of metal clanging into metal and JP took half a step forward. From behind, Carmilla saw his left arm come up and then shove forward roughly and there was a muffled crash from inside the room.

“Laura!” Carmilla hadn't meant to yell, but it slipped out of her. She was frozen in the middle of the hallway as JP slowly turned around to face her. His face lit up when he saw her.

“Carmilla. Just in time.” He stepped to one side so she could see past him into the room. Laura was on the floor, slumped against the dresser opposite the door, eyes shut. She wasn't moving.

“Is she dead? Unconscious? Who knows?” JP said with a grin. “You'll have to come over here and find out, I guess.”

Carmilla redoubled her grip on her baton.

“Really not a problem,” she said, through gritted teeth. Laura was hurt, but she couldn't do anything about that until she dealt with this.

JP twirled the tire iron he was holding in his right hand, a showy pretentious move that made Carmilla sneer at him.

“You weren't supposed to show up here until after I was long gone, but I'm sure I can think of another way to make this work,” he said.

Carmilla tapped the baton against her leg, eying him carefully. She needed to end this quickly, but she had to be smart about it.

“You know I was always sort of sad I never got a chance to go up against you.” JP approached her, slowly, already half in a fighting crouch.

“You never did know when to shut up, Will,” Carmilla said and dropped to one knee, swinging at his front knee. He jumped back and she quickly got back to her feet, squaring off against him.

“Always rushing into things without thinking. Seems like nothing's changed.” He was still talking, but his eyes were focused now.

“Good. That means I'm still better than you.”

He snarled and they both rushed forward at the same time.

/////////////

Danny and Lafontaine watched Carmilla disappear from the bar and exchanged a confused look.

“What in the world was that about?” Lafontaine asked.

“Something in the picture set her off,” Danny said. “Maybe she knows JP or something?”

Perry sank down onto the floor behind the bar, hand still over her mouth.

“Hey, Perr, are you okay?” Lafontaine asked, crouching next to their friends.

Perry shook her head and took her hand away from her mouth.

“I didn't think...” She paused and turned to look at Lafontaine, eyes wide. “She said he wasn't dangerous. But the way she reacted...”

“Who said what? Perr, I need you to tell me what's going on.”

Perry shook them off and climbed back up to her feet. She went over to the bar.

“You need to go to Laura's house right now,” she told Danny and Betty.

“Uh, why?” Danny looked puzzled.

“I...I can't explain. I have a really bad feeling, though. You need to go. Now!” It was Perry's authoritative voice that allowed for no arguments.

“Yeah, I can head over there, I guess,” Danny said, still confused.

“This could be a matter of life or death,” Perry said, hands clutching the edge of the bar like claws.

“Life or…. Is Laura in trouble?” Danny was suddenly paying full attention.

“I think she might be.” Perry looked grim.

Danny nodded and tapped Betty on the arm and headed out the door.

“Perry?” Lafontaine asked as the cops left.

“I think I may have done something really stupid,” Perry said. “And if Laura gets hurt because of it...”

“Can you tell me what's going on?” Lafontaine asked, putting a cautious hand on their friend's arm.

“It started when that terrible woman showed up in town….”

//////////////

Carmilla leaned back to dodge a swing, feeling the air from the blow breeze by her face. She was faster than Will by a good bit, but he had height and physical strength on his side. She needed to be fast enough to stay out of his range and hit him before he could recover, but so far that was proving difficult.

He'd backed her up down the hall and she was almost at the doorway leading to the bedroom she'd been staying in.

“You've gotten rusty, Carmilla. Here I've been wasting away in this godforsaken town for years and I'm driving you back with almost no effort. The little prodigy was always overrated I thought. Guess I was right.”

Carmilla didn't respond to his taunts, concentrating on his body language. He was favoring his left arm quite a bit. He had a long-sleeved shirt on so she couldn't tell if it was injured, but he was definitely holding it a bit gingerly and keeping it away from her.

“And all this time I've had to behave and act like a poor stuttering incompetent fool to make sure your bitchy mother and her thugs wouldn't catch up to me, but then I got to let loose again, and boy has it ever felt good.”

Carmilla was pretty sure her mother hadn't been looking for Will for years, but she wasn't going to tell him that now. Later when she was beating his skull in she could take some time for petty comebacks. She jumped back to avoid another swing and then moved in holding the baton in a backwards grip so it rested along the length of her right forearm, swinging for his head. It was a risky move since she had to step well into his range to try it, but he was slow and not using his left arm, so she thought it was worth a try.

He backed up, dodging it, and retaliated with a swing at her ribs with his iron. She couldn't completely dodge it, but she managed to move so that it hit late in his swing, with less force. The pain was intense and immediate and she ground her teeth as she backed away, trying to push the ache out of her mind. She didn't think he'd broken any ribs, but it had hit on the still-healing bruises she had from Vordenberg's goon's boot.

“That was a dumb move,” Will taunted. “You haven't even landed a single hit on me yet.”

She knew that. She wasn't trying to injury him, wear him down, she was trying to take him out. End things as quickly as possible so she could get to Laura.

“It's too bad Laura's dad survived that gunshot wound,” Will continued. “I'm going to have to find some way to deal with him later, I suppose, though he's not really my type. But killing Laura won't help me unless he's out of the picture, too.” He grinned. “At least it was fun, though. And I got to hurt you, too, in the process.”

She stored all that away to process later. Thinking about it now wasn't an option. She was rapidly running out of hallway. Getting trapped by Will was not going to help her at all. She fought using speed, dexterity, and this hallway was not suited for it. If they'd been outside or in a larger room even she had no doubt the fight would be over already and Will would be down for the count.

She was running out of options as well as hallway. She was going to need to take a risk.

She planted her feet, holding her ground so Will couldn't back her any further down the hall. He eagerly crowded into her space, sure he could overpower her. This was what she'd expected, though, so she let him, waiting for him to take a predictable, almost slow swing at her head. She dropped down to the ground, under the swing, landing with her weight on her left leg and arm, and lashed straight out with her right leg.

The side of her right foot connected with the bottom of his kneecap, making a satisfying crunching noise. She heard his sharp gasp as his leg folded and he collapsed forward onto her. She'd been expecting this, though, and moved back only far enough so he ended up falling with his head almost in her lap. She brought the handle of her baton down on the side of his head with as much force as she could, twice, watching with satisfaction as his face went slack. He was still breathing but he was out cold.

She raised the baton, ready to bring it down again, see if she couldn't crush his skull in this time, but a voice interrupted her.

“Carm?”

The red battle haze faded from her mind in a flash and she was on her feet looking down the hallway to find Laura standing outside the door to her room, leaning heavily on the wall.

“Laura, are you okay?” Everything in her wanted to run to Laura, but she was unwilling to leave Will unguarded, afraid he might still get up somehow.

“My head really hurts. I think...I think it's bleeding.” She held up her hand and there was blood smeared on her palm. Shit.

Carmilla took a deep breath to calm herself down. One thing at a time.

“Okay, Laura, we need to get you to the hospital, but first we have to deal with him.” She casually kicked Will's head with the toe of her shoe.

“JP.” Laura said, staring down at him. “He...he's the killer, Carm. How can JP have killed anyone?”

“His name isn't JP. Or at least it didn't used to be. But that can wait. Listen, I need you to go and get some duct tape for me, or belts if you don't have that. Thick leather ones would be best. Can you do that?”

“There should be some tape in the hall closet I think,” Laura said. Carmilla could tell from her voice that she was in a lot of pain. It tore her apart a bit to watch Laura stagger across the hall and open a narrow closet. Laura rummaged around for an excruciating long two minutes before she pulled out a roll of duct tape. She tried to walk down the hall towards Carmilla, but stopped with a grimace and rolled the tape down the hall instead.

Carmilla scooped it up and set about taping Will's wrists together behind his back. She moved on to tape his knees and ankles together and then added another piece over his eyes, and one more (with grim satisfaction) over his mouth. She moved as quickly as she could, but made sure she did it efficiently.

The second she was done she dropped the tape and climbed over Will to half-run down the hall. Laura basically collapsed on her, and Carmilla took her weight and sat both of them down on the floor gently. She turned so she was behind Laura and gently parted Laura's hair so she could see where the blood was coming from. The cut was tiny, though the area seemed pretty bruised.

“I think you hit your head on the corner of your dresser when he shoved you,” she told Laura. “It's a really small cut, but head wounds bleed like crazy.”

“My whole head in throbbing though. It feels like there's a hole in my skull.”

“It's possible you have a concussion as well. We need to get you to the hospital as quickly as we can.” She let go of Laura's hair and wrapped her arms around Laura, pulling her back against her and hugging her tightly. She couldn't get the image of Laura lying still on the floor out of her mind.

Laura reached a hand back to awkwardly pat her on the shoulder.

“I guess this makes up for the two times I saved your butt, huh?” she asked.

“You shouldn't have gotten hurt. I should have gotten here faster.”

Laura shook her head and then winced. “Ow, okay, never doing that again. But Carm, this isn't your fault. You had no way of knowing JP was the killer. Why did you show up here, anyway?”

“I...it's a long story. I can tell you later.” She knew she needed to call an ambulance now, but instead she buried her face in Laura's neck, trying to convince herself that it was over, that Laura was safe.

“Carm, are you...are you crying?”

She pulled back, wiping at her eyes with the back of one hand.

“No,” she grumbled, indignant. “I'm...I'm very glad you're okay. That's all.”

Laura pulled away from her enough to turn around and kneel in front of her.

“Hey,” she said, cupping Carmilla's face in her hands and using her thumbs to wipe away the last of the tears. “I'm going to be alright, Carm. And none of this is your fault.”

Carmilla leaned into her touch and nodded.

“I know it's not.” It wasn't. She knew exactly whose fault it was. She had a whole list actually. But that didn't matter yet. She needed this moment to breath and recover, push down the what ifs that kept surfacing. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against Laura's, gently. They stayed there in silence for a few minutes.

“Maybe we should call the cops?” Laura suggested, softly.

“Yeah, that's...”

“Laura?” a voice called loudly from downstairs.

“Speak of the devil,” Carmilla muttered.

“We're up here, Danny!” Laura called back over her shoulder, whimpering slightly from her own raised voice.

She turned back to Carmilla and leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips.

“Thanks.”

Carmilla nodded. “Yeah, of course.” And then she stood up, careful not to jostle Laura, and went to meet Danny.

/////////////

Carmilla had been furious when Laura insisted on going to the police station with her before going to the hospital. Danny had called an ambulance and JP had been taken away in it with Betty, Mel, and Kirsch all standing guard over him, but Laura had refused to go along as well. She still didn't understand why JP had attacked her, how he could possibly ever hurt anyone, and Carmilla clearly knew so she wasn't going anywhere until she found out.

She knew it was dumb, and that this time it wasn't Carmilla being overprotective, but just plain logical, but she desperately didn't want to be left out of everything again. And her head did feel better after some fresh air. A little better.

She let Carmilla drive her to the police station since Danny suggested they retreat there to 'sort this all out'. She didn't think she could have driven herself right then even if she'd had her car.

“How did you know to come for me?” Laura asked as they drove. From the way Carmilla's car had been parked and the little she'd gotten from Danny about Carmilla's departure from the Anglerfish it was clear that something had alerted her to the danger.

Carmilla didn't answer for a few seconds and Laura reached over to nudge her with a finger.

“Danny is going to ask a lot of questions at the station,” Carmilla said, finally. “I don't want you to have to lie to her.”

Laura frowned. Then she whimpered slightly as the car went over a pothole, making her head throb. Carmilla shot a worried glance at her and slowed down the car to a crawl.

“Why would I have to lie?” Laura asked.

“Because, ugh, look, it's really better that Danny never finds out the whole truth, that's why. For a whole bunch of reasons I don't want to get into yet.” Carmilla sighed. “Look, if...if we play this right then maybe there's a chance…maybe I can stay.”

Laura's heart caught in her throat. Carmilla staying…. But it didn't make sense. How did JP have anything to do with whether or not Carmilla stayed in Silas?

“I mean, if you still wanted me to,” Carmilla continued when Laura didn't answer.

“Of course I want you to stay.” Carmilla could be a real idiot sometimes. “I don't understand how it's related to JP though?”

“I promise I'll explain later, alright? For now, just tell Danny exactly what happened. Okay?”

Laura sighed in frustration. She was so close to the answers and still couldn't have them.

“You'd better tell me everything.”

Carmilla nodded, relieved. “I will. Later.” She pulled into the police parking lot, parked, and got out of the car. She was halfway around the front of the car to get Laura's door when she stopped, balling her fists into the bottom of her jacket and sighing in resignation.

Laura was puzzled for a second and then remembered yelling at Carmilla last time she'd tried to open the car door for her. It figured that the one time she wouldn't have turned down some extra help Carmilla had to start acting all considerate. She pushed her door open and climbed slowly out. Carmilla was at her side in an instant.

“Are you dizzy at all?” she asked, looking unsure if she should offer to help Laura.

“A little, maybe. Can you give me a hand?” It felt weird to ask for help, but having Carmilla's arm around her waist was nice. Maybe needing some help from time to time wasn't the end of the world.

They made it inside the station and Carmilla got Laura sitting in a chair while Danny went to find an ice-pack in the fridge. The paramedics who'd come with the ambulance had cleaned the cut on her head and strongly suggested she come back to the hospital, but that was it. Carmilla hovered near her, holding her hand and glancing out the window from time to time. She stiffened suddenly and Laura turned to look outside, seeing a black BMW pulling into the lot. Mattie.

“I'll be back in a few minutes,” Carmilla said, her voice back to that neutral tone that gave away nothing. “I have a little business to take care of.”

“Is it safe?” She didn't think Mattie was going to attack Carmilla in front of a police station, but she'd never have thought JP capable of harming anyone at all. Nothing seemed certain anymore.

Carmilla glanced down at her and smiled. “Yeah, I can handle Mattie.” She leaned down and kissed Laura on the forehead before pulling her hand away and heading out the door.

“Where's she going?” Danny asked, coming back and handing an ice-pack wrapped in a towel to Laura.

“I think she needs to talk to Mattie,” Laura said.

Danny frowned and then shrugged. Her suspicion of Carmilla hadn't gone down after seeing what she'd done to JP, but she at least seemed grateful that Carmilla had probably saved Laura's life.

“Well, if she's busy with that, are you up to telling me what happened first?”

It wasn't a very long story and it only took a few minutes for Laura to get through it. Danny had a few questions, but mostly Laura didn't have answers for her. She had no idea why JP had tried to kill her, why he'd killed the other women. That last point was still under investigation, of course, but the crime scene unit had bagged the tire iron JP had and Laura didn't have much doubt that it would come back as the murder weapon that had killed Ms. Barnes.

Carmilla was still out in the parking lot, now with her arms crossed and mouth set in a hard line while Mattie spoke into her phone, waving an arm around. Danny rolled her eyes at them

“Well, when your girlfriend is done with whatever the hell is going on out there, tell her I want to talk to her. I need to go make some calls.”

“Okay,” Laura said, not looking away from Carmilla and Mattie.

“I don't supposed you'll let me send you to the hospital yet?”

“No.”

Danny nodded. “Figured. Yell if you need anything.” She disappeared back into her office.

Mattie hung up her phone after a few more tense minutes and she and Carmilla spoke again for a little while. Mattie looked supremely unhappy. Finally Mattie turned away and got back in her car, pulling out of the parking lot. Carmilla watched her go and then turned back to the station, meeting Laura's eyes through the window for a second. She gave a reassuring half-smile and then headed back towards the entrance.

“What was that all about?” Laura asked as soon as she was back inside.

“Taking care of some family business,” Carmilla said, vaguely.

“Carm...”

“It's part of the stuff I'll tell you later, okay?” She came over to squat in front of where Laura was sitting. “Are you doing okay still?”

Laura nodded. “Yeah, I mean my head still feels like the wildebeests from The Lion King are stampeding through it, but it hasn't gotten any worse.”

“If you're able to make a Disney reference you're probably not dying,” Carmilla said, wryly. She rolled herself forward onto her knees and wrapped her arms around Laura's waist, head pressed against her chest.

“Hey, are _you_ okay?” Laura asked, running a hand through Carmilla's hair.

Carmilla pulled back and looked up at her. “Yeah, I'm good. In fact, I'm really good. And everything is going to be okay now.”

“How...” Laura started and then broke off as she saw Danny approaching. She nudged Carmilla who looked back to see Danny and released Laura, getting up to sit in the chair next to her instead.

“So, Karnstein.”

“Lawrence.”

“Care to tell me how you knew JP was the killer just from seeing a photo of him?”

She'd seen a photo of him?

“I didn't know. I...just had a really bad feeling all of the sudden. Like Laura was in danger.” Carmilla's face was suspiciously innocent looking. Laura wasn't buying it for one second.

“You took off out of the Anglerfish like a bat out of hell because you had a 'feeling'?” Danny didn't sound like she was buying it either.

“That's right.”

Danny frowned. “Yeah, pretty sure that's not the real story here. You know JP somehow, don't you?”

Carmilla smiled and shook her head. “I've never known anyone named JP in my life.”

Danny seemed about to argue again, but took a breath and collected herself. “So tell me what happened when you got to the house with a 'feeling' so strong it made you leave your car in the middle of the road?”

“I got inside and heard the noise from upstairs. I ran upstairs in time to see JP break down Laura's door and...” She paused and swallowed, looking back over at Laura as if to assure herself she was really okay. Laura took her hand again and squeezed it. “...and I saw him break the door down and shove Laura back into a dresser. Then he came after me.”

“And you fought then?”

“Yeah. I won.” She sounded a little proud of herself.

“That's pretty impressive for someone who only works for a real estate company. JP's a big guy.” Danny sounded skeptical.

Carmilla snorted. “Please. If we hadn't been stuck in a narrow hallway I would have wiped the floor with him in half the time.”

“Where'd you learn to fight?” Danny asked.

Carmilla shrugged. “Poor life choices. Anyway, I took him down, Laura got duct tape out of the closet, I tied him up, and then you showed up. End of story.”

“There's a lot of holes in this story,” Danny said.

“Chief Lawrence, if you don't mind, I'd really like to get Laura to the hospital now,” Carmilla said. “She should get seen by a doctor soon.”

Laura had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at this ploy. Danny looked back and forth between them and Laura did her best to look like she was in pain, which wasn't too hard.

“I can call an ambulance...” Danny said.

“Please, can Carmilla just take me?” Laura asked, quickly. Danny nodded reluctantly.

“Thanks.” Laura let Carmilla help her out and made a big show of leaning heavily on her as they left the station.

“Are you as hurt as you're acting?” Carmilla asked the minute the doors shut behind them.

“No, you dope. I was playing it up to back up your incredibly lame escape plan.”

Carmilla chuckled. “Okay, then. But we really are taking you to the hospital.”

“And you're telling me everything then?”

“After a doctor has seen you.” Carmilla's voice was resolute. Laura sighed but didn't argue.

/////////////////

The doctor hadn't wanted to let Carmilla come into the examination room with Laura, but Laura had insisted and threatened to leave if they didn't let her. Carmilla was secretly grateful, not yet willing to let Laura out of her sight.

The doctor, took his time examining Laura's injury, sometimes poking at it which would cause Laura to whimper, which, in turn, caused Carmilla to glare at the doctor. Somewhat unsettled by her glaring, the doctor left the room after telling Laura she probably was okay, but possibly had a mild concussion. He suggested she spend the night in the hospital just to be sure so someone could wake her up every few hours.

“I'm staying with you,” Carmilla said.

“Carm, they're never going to let you stay.”

Carmilla shook her head. “Doesn't matter. I'm staying.”

Laura rolled her eyes. “I'll call Danny and see if she can have a word with someone. Maybe we can pass you off as my personal bodyguard.”

Carmilla smirked. She liked the sound of that.

Calling Danny did the trick, and while it didn't win Carmilla any points with the hospital staff they backed down at Danny's request and agreed to let Carmilla stay as long as she didn't 'cause a disturbance'.

Carmilla settled into a chair in the room they assigned to Laura for the night as Laura changed into a hospital gown and climbed into the bed they'd given her and propped herself up on some pillows.

“Okay, so, spill,” Laura said the minute she pulled the covers up.

Carmilla had only started to try and figure out where to start when someone knocked on the door. She stalked over to the door and opened it a crack, peering out suspiciously. She relaxed a little when she saw it was only Lafontaine and Perry.

“Hey guys!” Laura waved cheerfully to her friends.

“Laura, I am so sorry,” Perry said, running over to grab her hand. “I never thought he'd hurt anyone. Ms. Belmonde told me he was harmless.”

“Mattie probably thought he was,” Carmilla said, “that'd he'd lost all his fight.”

Laura looked back and forth between them. “Oookay, so can someone please tell me what's going on here?”

“Belmonde was blackmailing Perry,” Lafontaine said. The looked angry. “I guess JP used to work for Corvae and he didn't keep his hands clean while he was there. She had a lot of proof that he'd been involved in some dirty business deals.”

“So you were paying her off?” Laura asked Perry.

Perry shook her head. “Well, a little. It wasn't that much money. Mostly she wanted to know things about what was going on in the town and who was who. Rumors and stuff. And what JP was up to.”

“That won't be an issue anymore,” Carmilla said. Even if protecting JP were still even remotely a thing they needed to do (which it really wasn't), she'd made Mattie promise to never have contact with either of the Anglerfish owners again. Not that she really cared, but she had thought it would be what Laura would want.

“And she also told me to warn JP right before you came to town,” Perry said to Carmilla. “Because you would recognize him.”

“Think of all the trouble we could have saved if you hadn't,” Carmilla grumbled. Laura poked her in the arm. “I mean, uh, how, uh, awful for you?” She made a face at Laura while Perry wasn't looking.

“You're okay, though, right?” Perry asked Laura.

“I'm fine,” Laura assured her. “Just a bump on the head. Carm took JP down. It was pretty badass.”

It hadn't felt badass. Her ribs were still aching. She'd thought about asking for painkillers, but decided that it wasn't worth being probed by doctors for.

“I can't believe JP would….” Lafontaine looked sick. “I mean, why?”

Laura looked expectantly at Carmilla. She frowned. She'd planned to tell Laura everything, but she didn't want to include the ginger squad in that. Laura leaned over to her.

“Please, if you know anything that can help them?”

Carmilla sighed.

“His name isn't JP, or it wasn't when I knew him. His name is William. Will. He used to work for Corvae.” He'd been like her, working directly for her mother, but she left that part out for now. “He used to do some, uh, dirty work, for Corvae until he went too far and fell into the company's bad graces.” She glanced over at Laura and could see her putting it together from the story she'd told her before.

“Did he kill someone before?” Lafontaine asked.

Carmilla really didn't want to talk about this part with anyone but Laura, but something in their eyes made her reconsider. In some ways Lafontaine and Perry had been hurt by Will more than anyone. Well, except the murder victims.

“Yes. He did. And he tried to kill Natalie Farmer before he ever came to Silas.”

“Natalie?” Laura sounded confused.

“Yeah, Corvae tried to buy some land from her before, where she used to live. She was willing to sell, but Will was, uh, over-enthusiastic and went after her anyway. Fortunately that was averted, she sold her land to Corvae and moved to the city near Silas. We think Will may have tried to follow her there, he always got obsessive, and run out of money and ended up on the streets.” She grimaced. “He didn't have a lot of life skills.” None of them had.

Laura reached out a hand towards her and she took it, gladly. Talking about this wasn't bothering her as much as Laura might think it was, but she wouldn't turn down the excuse for comfort.

“Anyway, I think that's when you two found him and brought him back here, and then Natalie had the misfortune to move here as well. Natalie was actually the one who alerted Mattie to the possible real-estate potential here. I guess she was on good terms with her despite the whole Will trying to kill her thing. Mattie said Natalie saw Will at the Anglerfish when she met her there and panicked. She was getting ready to skip town. That was also the night Mattie found out that Will was in Silas.”

Carmilla sighed. Mattie had explained it all to her earlier and she'd wanted to punch her in the face. There were so many ways all of this could have been prevented if everyone wasn't so wrapped up in their own web of lies.

“Mattie called back to Corvae, of course...” To her mother, actually. “...and they decided not to move against Will right away. They didn't want to risk making a commotion when there were land deals going down and he seemed harmless enough now. So they roped Perry into spying on him.”

“Why did you agree?” Laura asked Perry. “I mean I always thought you didn't even like JP, uh, Will very much.”

“I didn't,” Perry said. “I...” She looked at Lafontaine and away. “I was worried if JP were to leave it would be one less thing holding Lafontaine here. That they'd want to leave if everything came out. And where would I go then?”

Lafontaine patted her on the back, stiffly. “Perr, I wouldn't leave you. I'm not going to leave Silas.”

“You used to say you wanted to all the time!” Perry said, bitterly.

“Yeah, because I was stressed out about the snow and Vordenberg. But I wasn't being serious. I was grumbling.”

“Congratulations, your grumbling almost got Laura killed,” Carmilla said. Laura pulled her hand out of Carmilla's and smacked the back of her knuckles. “Ow! Hey!”

“You grumble more than anyone I know, Carm. This isn't Lafontaine's fault. Or Perry's.”

Carmilla rubbed her stinging knuckles and sulked. She knew it wasn't really their fault, but if Perry had said something then maybe Laura wouldn't be sitting in a hospital bed.

Perry and Lafontaine had missed most of this exchange as they seemed to be talking quietly. They both looked up at the other two after a minute.

“So, why did he start killing people?” Laura asked. “For Mattie?”

Carmilla shook her head. She glanced over, wanting to take Laura's hand again but not wanting to get slapped again.

“No, Mattie didn't know he was the one killing people until later.” She sure as hell must have suspected after Natalie died considering the history, but Carmilla didn't bring that up.

“Will killed them on his own. Natalie he killed probably because of their history. She recognized him and he could have still been obsessed with her. I think Ms. Barnes and the attempt on SJ were his way of trying to cast suspicion on Corvae. He knew what Mattie was up to through Perry so he wanted to get them driven out of town.” And he'd probably regained his old thirst for killing.

“And why attack Laura?” Lafontaine asked. “The house and all the land is in her father's name.”

“He said he was going to kill my dad later,” Laura said.

“He went after the women on our list of potential sellers,” Carmilla added. “Maybe he didn't think they would put up as much of a fight. Or maybe he liked killing women.” She suspected it was a bit of both.

“I still can't believe that JP...” Lafontaine shook their head. “Well, those are the facts, so I've got to.” They looked up. “We should go talk to Danny. This is partly our mess.”

“Don't tell her about the blackmail,” Carmilla said. Everyone turned to look at her.

“Why not?” Laura asked.

“First of all, you helped to withhold Will's crimes by giving into Mattie's demands. That could end badly for you.” Perry paled and Lafontaine looked murderous. “Second of all, if you keep your mouth shut about it I can probably help you out with that debt you're in with Vordenberg.”

“What? How?” Perry looked completely bewildered.

“How did you even know about that?” Lafontaine asked turning to look at Laura. Laura smiled and shrugged innocently.

“I don't want to get into the details, but if Mattie gets in legal trouble or in jail the deal's off. This only works if you stay quiet.”

“Is it illegal?” Perry asked.

“Surprisingly, no.”

“Okay,” Perry agreed.

“Perr?” Lafontaine sounded horrified.

“We need to get out of debt to him. If she says there's a legal way to do that then why not? Also, I don't want to go to jail over this. JP, or, Will, has been caught. No one is going to get harmed.”

No one else, Carmilla thought to herself.

Lafontaine didn't look happy but didn't say anything else.

“Oh!” Laura said suddenly. “Uh, I have a favor to ask you guys.”

“Anything,” Perry said, quickly. She was probably still guilty about the whole almost-getting-Laura-killed thing.

“Can you stop by my dad's room on the way out? I, uh, well, everything happened so fast and I don't want him to hear the wrong thing and panic. Let him know I'm alright?”

“Of course,” Perry said. She seemed to think this was their cue to leave and gathered up Lafontaine to head towards the door in a wave of goodbyes and apologies.

Laura waited until the door shut behind them and turned back to Carmilla.

“So what did you leave out?”

She wasn't surprised Laura knew there were still parts missing. Laura had always been the clever one.

“Well, first of all, remember when I told you that story about someone else trained like me who ran off?”

“Yeah, that was Will, right? I sort of figured that out.” Laura smiled. “You fought a trained killer for me.”

“To be fair, I'm a trained killer, too.”

“Still.”

Carmilla reached back out for Laura's hand, figuring it was safe now. She felt better holding it.

“So what's this whole deal with getting Perry and Laf out of debt?”

Carmilla nodded. “That's part of the other big thing I need to tell you about.” She took a deep breath. “The reason I didn't want to tell you anything until you had already been questioned was that I didn't want Danny finding out who JP really was. All his past records and stuff have been erased by Corvae so really the only people who can connect him are people who work for Corvae.”

“You and Mattie.”

“Exactly. And Mattie wouldn't talk.”

“But why won't you? You have no reason to protect him.”

“I had Mattie call my mother when we were talking in the parking lot. I had her tell mother that if she didn't release control of my trust fund to me and agree to stay the hell out of my life I would walk right back in the station and tell Danny Lawrence everything she ever wanted to know about Will and his connections to Corvae.” Carmilla shrugged. “Mother could probably have weaseled out of it still, but it would make Corvae look bad, the CEO's daughter testifying against her.”

“So she did it?” Laura asked, suddenly quiet.

“Yeah, should be official within the next twenty-four hours.”

“That's what you meant when you said you found a way to stay.” Carmilla could hear the hope in Laura's voice.

“Exactly. With mother off my back and enough money to live comfortably for several lifetimes, things are different.” She didn't want to live in Silas, really. The place held no appeal to her and she hated the snow, but somewhere along the way she'd realized she'd rather stay and hate the snow than leave Laura.

“And Perry and Laf?”

“Oh, yeah, so I had Mattie tell her that before she signed over the trust to me she should use it to pay off their debt with funds from it.”

“Won't Vordenberg benefit from that?”

Carmilla smirked. “Very temporarily. Mother is, uh, displeased with him. He's going to be in quite a nasty situation before too long. Turns out he's shockingly dishonest and left quite a paper trail.”

“Why would you help them?” Laura asked, she was searching Carmilla's face for answers.

“Your friends? Because they're your friends.”

“But you don't even like them”

“Not especially.”

Laura shook her head. “I don't understand completely, but I appreciate it.”

Carmilla shrugged it off, feeling awkward. “So, is this interrogation over now?”

Laura smiled at her. “I'll probably think up more questions later, but I think I'm done for now.” She tugged on Carmilla's hand. “Come here.”

Carmilla obediently got up and moved to sit next to Laura on the bed. Laura pulled her down into a kiss. Carmilla sighed into the kiss, every touch providing additional reassurance that this wasn't a dream, Laura was okay, Carmilla was free, everything had a chance to be okay. She pulled back when Laura's hands started playing with the bottom of her shirt.

“Laura, we're in a hospital. Maybe not the time for that?”

Laura pouted. “I'm supposed to stay up for another two hours at least before I go to sleep, though. And I'm really tired. What are we going to do to keep me awake?”

Carmilla rolled her eyes at Laura. Sex in a hospital? Really? And _she_ was supposed to be the crazy one here.

“Slide over,” she said to Laura, standing up and rummaging in her coat which she'd left thrown over the back of the chair.

She turned back to the bed and climbed to sit next to Laura, wrapping her arm around behind her. Laura settled against her side looking at what she'd brought back with her.

“A book? Are you going to read to me again?”

“If you want me to, yeah.”

“What book is it this time?”

Carmilla showed her the cover of the book.

“Alice in Wonderland, huh?”

“Have you read it before?”

“Not for a really long time.” Laura dropped her head onto Carmilla's shoulder. “So, do you always carry a book around in your coat?”

“Always.”

“Why?”

Carmilla shifted a little. “I don't really want to say. It's stupid.”

Laura giggled. “Carm, you saved my life earlier, I think that earns you a pass on me thinking you're stupid for at least another hour.”

Carmilla smiled at her. “Only another hour?”

“Maybe two? Now answer me.”

Carmilla sighed. “It was to remind me that there are better worlds out there then the one I was stuck in.” She shook her head. “See? I told you it was dumb.”

“I don't know, I think it's kind of adorable,” Laura said. “The sappy assassin.”

“I am not sappy.”

“Yes you are. You are a total sap.” Laura kissed her on the neck until she stopped scowling. Clearly that was cheating, but Carmilla was prepared to forgive her.

“Are you going to let me read this book to you or not?”

Laura nodded and settled in closer.

“Take me to another world, Carm.”

/////////////

So much had happened in two weeks that Laura wasn't convinced it hadn't been two months instead. She was still trying to wrap her head around all of it.

It was mid-afternoon at the Anglerfish and Laura was sitting at the bar instead of behind it since it was SJ's shift. Carmilla was sitting next to her, holding her hot chocolate mug with one hand and Laura's hand with the other. Ever since the fight with Will, Carmilla seemed unwilling to be out of physical contact with Laura unless it was absolutely necessary.

“It figures the only day you show up on time is the one after your last day working here,” Lafontaine said to her.

“Yeah, yeah,” Laura said, sipping her own hot chocolate. “I wanted to come by here one more time before we left.”

“That's tomorrow, right?” Perry asked. Lafontaine and Perry were both behind the bar today. Perry was taking a quick break from the kitchen.

“Yep, bright and early.”

Carmilla groaned, no doubt already annoyed that she was going to have to wake up early. She was probably also annoyed that Laura had banned her from drinking before two pm, though she mostly had stopped on her own.

“Can't believe you guys are moving in together after, what, a month?” Lafontaine said. “Way to live up to the stereotypes.”

“We're not _really_ moving in together,” Laura said. They'd had this conversation before; Lafontaine was only teasing. “We're going to be splitting an apartment. We've got separate bedrooms and everything.” They'd talked it over and decided that was the best course of action, because, yes, it had only been about a month and even though they'd spent almost all of the last two weeks together there was still a lot to find out about each other.

“And I bet you're going to need both bedrooms _really_ often,” Lafontaine said, smirking.

Carmilla chuckled into her mug and Laura thought about smacking her, but decided that even the semblance of Laf and Carmilla getting along was progress.

“I still can't believe you're moving to the city,” Perry said. “It seems so far.”

“Once the train tracks are up it'll be a pretty short trip,” Lafontaine pointed out.

“But still.”

“How many interviews do you have lined up, so far?” Lafontaine asked Laura.

“Uh, three. There's a newspaper, a magazine, and an online journal as well.” She was equal parts nervous and excited at the prospect of getting a real journalism job.

“And Carmilla is going to, what, stay at home and keep the apartment clean?”

Carmilla snorted and Laura laughed out loud.

“Rooms get messy when Carm walks into them. And she has other plans, anyway.” She elbowed Carmilla to encourage her to join in the conversation.

“Uh, yeah, I'm going to take some courses at one of the colleges there.”

“What type of courses are you thinking about?” Perry asked. She kept trying to make friends with Carmilla ever since she'd found out that Carmilla was behind paying off their debt, but Carmilla was strenuously resisting.

“I'm not sure yet.”

Laura sighed. “She's looking for something that lets her read a lot. Maybe some language classes or philosophy.”

“That sounds very interesting!” Perry said, brightly.

Carmilla just rolled her eyes and leaned over to Laura.

“Remind me to never do something nice for someone again.”

“How's your dad, Laura?” Lafontaine asked, changing the subject before Carmilla murdered Perry.

“He's doing pretty well. He's been trying to help out Danny more, training the new recruits, getting Betty up to speed on her new duties as Lieutenant. He's an official 'police liaison' now, whatever that means. I think Danny made it up.”

“When is he moving out?”

“Pretty soon I think. With me and Carm gone he has no reason to stay in a big empty house.”

“Still can't believe he took a deal from Corvae.” Lafontaine shook their head.

“Technically you did, too,” Carmilla pointed out.

“He's using the money from the sale to pay for a nurse to stop by once a day and check in on him and help him with some basic stuff around the house,” Laura explained. They already knew this, but she was trying to keep Carmilla from starting another fight. “Though, to be honest, he's been much more mobile since getting out of the hospital. He's started physical therapy again and is really getting into this whole police liaison thing.”

“Can't keep a Hollis down,” Lafontaine agreed.

Carmilla smirked slightly to herself and opened her mouth to say anything but was cut off by Laura's elbow in her ribs. Laura had learned to recognize the look she had before she said something spectacularly inappropriate.

“At least he won't be stuck in a house with you two anymore,” Lafontaine said, watching their silent exchange.

“Please, we are on our best behavior at all times,” Laura lied.

“That poor, poor man.”

“Once we're in the city we'll be closer to the courthouse when we need to testify about JP, uh Will.” Laura tried to change the subject again.

“Oh, yeah, we're going to have to show up for that, too.” Lafontaine grimaced. “I'd rather forget the whole thing and move on.”

“They're going to convict him, right?” Perry asked, anxiously.

“There's a ton of evidence against him.” Laura said, reassuring her. And Carmilla had implied that there was a good chance he wouldn't even make it to the trial. Which was...wrong. She was having a harder time caring that she should, though.

“Theo is on trial, too,” Lafontaine said.

Laura had heard. Danny had told Theo the deal was off after a mysterious amount of evidence against Vordenberg had surfaced from 'unknown sources'. She was pretty sure Mattie and Corvae were behind that one.

“Both of them are going to jail for a long, long time, I hope,” Laura said. She hoped Will made it to jail alive, despite everything.

“We need to go, though,” Laura said, glancing at the time on her phone. “I want to try to catch Danny before we have to head home.”

“Be prepared to listen to a two hour review of her new desk chair,” Lafontaine said. “Apparently it is the best chair known to humankind.”

“Oh boy,” Carmilla said. “That sounds like _so much_ fun.”

“We'll probably get to hear her complain about how we're still not telling her everything. Again.” Laura felt bad about that, but not bad enough to risk her future with Carmilla.

“Come give us a hug before you leave. We don't know when we'll see you again,” Perry demanded.

“We'll be back for Christmas. That's not too far away,” Laura assured her.

Laura hurried behind the bar to hug both her friends. Perry looked like she might suggest that Carmilla wanted a hug as well but stopped at the horrified expression on Carmilla's face. After an almost-tearful round of goodbyes, Laura left with Carmilla following close behind her.

“Thank god that's over with,” Carmilla said when they got into the parking lot.

“Oh don't be so grumpy. We're not going to be able to see them as often after today.” Laura unlocked the car, but leaned against the side of it instead of getting in.

“Do we really have to go see Danny?” Carmilla asked, coming to lean next to her.

“It won't take that long. Why are you so cranky anyway?” Laura asked. She wanted to deal with her sulking girlfriend before they got to the police station.

“Maybe I just want you all to myself.” Carmilla leaned over and rested her chin on Laura's shoulder, looking up at her winningly.

“You'll get me all to yourself completely after tomorrow,” Laura pointed out.

“Hmmm. Seems like a long time to wait.”

“We only have to see Danny still, and then we can go home.”

“Home where your dad is. He made me shovel the walk, you know.”

Two weeks later and she was still complaining about that.

“Well it _was_ your fault it didn't get shoveled in the first place.”

“I prefer to think it was a joint effort.”

“Come on, it's just one more night and then I'll make it up to you.” Not that she wasn't basically living in Carmilla's room at the house now. Carmilla had moved in with them after she'd broken ties with her mother. Her father hadn't seemed to mind, and even if she hadn't really officially told him they were dating, there was no way he hadn't figured it out by now.

She sighed, thinking about how this would be her last night at home for quite some time. She was going to miss Silas and her dad.

“Hey, what's wrong?” Carmilla asked. “I don't mind if you say goodbye to Danny. Not really.”

“No, I was only thinking about how much I'm going to miss everyone. I'm leaving behind everything I have and venturing out into the unknown. I should be excited, not sad.”

Carmilla used one finger on her cheek to turn Laura to face her.

“Not everything. You'll have me. For whatever that's worth.”

Laura pushed off the car and moved around to stand in front of Carmilla, smiling mischievously. With no warning she grabbed Carmilla by the upper arms and pushed her back more firmly against the car, leaning in to kiss her.

“Still pushing women into cars to make out with them, huh?” Carmilla asked her when the kiss finally broke off.

“I figured once more, for old time's sake.” Laura leaned against her, letting Carmilla wrap her arms around her, her chin resting on top of Laura's head.

“It's worth a lot, you know?” Laura said. She knew that sometimes Carmilla needed to hear these things.

“Hmm?” Carmilla made a puzzled sound.

“Having you.”

Carmilla hugged her tighter. “Good to know.”

Around them a light snow began to fall. Soon it would cover the old snow and dirt that had built up and leave everything looking fresh and new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. I think I tied up all the loose ends, I'm running on no sleep today so yell at me if I left a huge plot hole somehow. I've got the whole thing outlined on paper so I think it's sorted out.
> 
> Writing this was a really fun experience for the most part. Somewhere in the first three chapters I lost some enthusiasm for it, but I got it back later and I ended up having a great time writing the rest. I'm a little sad it's over. I was also sad I didn't get Jack Hollis and Kirsch in this chapter, but it was getting way too long and there wasn't a smooth way to fit them in. They're doing great, though.
> 
> I'll be writing something else soon. Still not 100% certain what, but it'll likely be a sequel to my other long fic, Nuclear. Keep an eye out on my [tumblr](http://asleepinawell.tumblr.com/) if you're interested. 
> 
> Hope everyone enjoyed that and have a happy and safe holiday.


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